Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
by LittleVampirateXX
Summary: Sequel to my CoBP. Isabel Norrington finds herself enlisting Jack's help once again. Will she be able to clear the names of Will, Elizabeth and herself and will she realize her true feelings before it's too late...? At World's End NOW UP!
1. A Wedding Interupted

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The wind was picking up. I walked barefoot along the beach, watching my feet sink into the cold sand. Port Royale was unusually gray in the cold light of the morning. It didn't look like it was going to be a very good water lapped at my toes. I looked up; out to sea. The water was gray and the horizon empty. It always was.

If anyone asked me why I stared so intently out to sea every morning, I wouldn't be able to answer them. No-one ever did ask because nobody I knew got up this early. I wasn't too sure what I was looking for myself.

White sails? They used to signal that James was coming back. Not anymore. Since he had resigned and gone chasing pirates halfway around the world, there was noway I could say hat king of ship he'd be on. I didn't even know where he was. All I knew is that he'd left with the intention of murdering every last crew member of the _Black Pearl_. James had been gone too long. I didn't know if that was good or bad. The longer James was away the more worried I got that he was in danger... or worse. But the longer he was away they more hopeful I got that I would see something else on that horizon.

Black sails. I knew that the _Pearl_ was unlikely to return, but I can't deny that it was what I longed to see. Every morning I looked out and a tiny, suppressed part of me wanted those black sails to be there. Because that meant Jack would be coming back. In the short time I'd known him he had shown me new things and taught me more than anyone else ever had. In the months he'd been away everything had fallen apart and the sad truth was... Port Royale didn't feel like home anymore. Home was where the heart was and my heart was... well, I didn't know where it was, but ut wasn't here.

"Isabel!" a voice called to me across the beach. I turned. George had found me. "What are you doing out here? It's freezing!"

"I needed some fresh air," I lied. "I had a headache, I'm fine now."

"Alright," he said. "Well, come on then. Elizabeth needs you. The wedding's in a few hours."

The wedding, of course. The day that had been the talk of Port Royale had finally arrived. Elizabeth Swann, the Governor's daughter was marrying blacksmith, Will Turner. To a lot of people who didn't know them this was a highly scandalous and very unorthodox wedding, but I knew that there was no better match in the whole of Port Royale.

***

The rain poured from the sky, mixing with Elizabeth's tears. I put my arm around her and she leaned her head on my shoulder, looking weary and miserable. This should have been the happiest day of her life, but here she was, crying in my shoulder. The rain that had ruined her dress and hair was plopping into china teacups behind us that were already overflowing with collected rainwater.

"Why didn't he come?" Elizabeth's mournful question hung in the air. It was the first thing she'd said in ages. I didn't know how to answer her. It seemed like she had been left at the alter, but I knew her fiancée better than that. William Turner would never abandon Elizabeth. He had spent to long trying to tell her how he felt. Their love was so genuine, so pure that I knew he hadn't left her.

Something must have happened to him. I didn't voice this thought. That kind of worry was the last thing Elizabeth needed. In answer to her question all I did was hug her tight and assure her everything would be alright. No sooner had the words left my mouth did we both hear a sound that contradicted my words. Footsteps and lost of them. They were marching towards us. Elizabeth sat bolt upright and turned her head towards the sound. She dislodged my arm and, dropping the sodden bouquet she had been carrying ran towards the crowd of redcoats that had begun to form in the church. I hung back, sure that this couldn't be good news.

I stayed at the back of the redcoats and peered through the gaps. Will was handcuffed; standing in chains between two guards. They were talking quietly. A short man standing nearby was looking at them smugly. He muttered something to the taller, darker haired man beside him. An angry voice rose above the quiet murmuring voices.

"Out of my way!" said Governor Swann. "What's going on? Stand your man down at once. Do you hear me?"

The smug smile on the face of the small man widened. "Governor Weatherby Swann, it's been too long," he smirked.

A look of recognition crept across Governor Swann's face. "Cutler Beckett?" he said disbelievingly.

"It's Lord now, actually," Beckett corrected.

"Lord or not you have no reason and no authority to arrest this man!" Mr. Swann was still outraged.

"Oh in fact I do," the smug tone in Beckett's voice was so prominent it made me want to throw up. He turned to the taller man beside him, "Mr Mercer…" the man handed him a roll of parchment, which was then handed to Governor Swann, "The warrant for the arrest of one William Turner."

The sound of silence was heavy in the air as Governor Swann read the parchment. "This warrant is for the arrest of Elizabeth Swann!" he said, his eyes wide. I took a sharp intake of breath, but it was cut short. A hand was clamped over my mouth and someone grabbed me so tightly I couldn't move. I felt myself being dragged backwards. Away from Will and Elizabeth. I had to help them. What had they done? Why was this happening.

I struggled against my captor, but I was held strong. I was lead silently away from the church. I bit down hard on their hand and heard a gasp of pain. There was a momentary lapse in they strength they held me with. I raise raised my elbow and I felt it come into contact with their nose.

"Isabel!" they gasped. I twisted in their grip and found myself staring at George. I'd made his nose bleed.

"George?" I stared at him, so shocked I was unable to resist him dragging me quickly put his hand back over my mouth. He pulled me along the streets of Port Royale, always choosing the streets that looked the most deserted, until we reached his house. He pushed me through the door. Only then did he take his hand from my mouth and let me speak.

"What's going on?" I asked, as he wiped blood from his nose.

"They've come to arrest you," he replied quietly.

"Why?"

"For the same reason they arrested Will and Elizabeth! For helping that **pirate**!" his eyes were full of hate.

It took a while to sink in. "For helping Jack?" I said.

"Yes," he said through gritted teeth. "Him."

"George, we have to go back! We have to help them!" I said.

"Governor Swann will do what he can for them, but you have to stay here until your name is cleared," he replied. I stared at him as he locked the door.

"**What?**" I couldn't quite believe my ears. "Don't be such a coward, George! It's up to us to get them out!"

"There is nothing we can do. They are in the hands of the law, justice will clear their names," he was trying to calm me down, but I saw one major flaw in his words.

"Then why didn't you let it clear mine?" I asked, keeping my eyes fixed on his. "You know as well as I do that we helped a pirate escape from the gallows and no-one could possibly prove otherwise, Beckett has the evidence and authority to hang the three of us. " He sighed, defeated. I softened my tone, "George, we have to free them or they'll both be sent to the gallows!"

"I'll see what I can do for them, but you can't come. If Beckett sees you then you'll be as much trouble as they are."

I nodded. He put his coat back on and unlocked the door, "Stay here," he said.

"I will," I promised. "Thank you, George."

***

It seemed to take hours for George to come back. I sat there, listening to the swinging pendulum on the clock and worried about what was going on. The house craked around me and every time it did I thought it was George coming back. A knock on the door shattered the silence. I froze. It couldn't be George, he wouldn't knock on his own door. I stayed where I was and prayed they would go away. They knocked again more urgently and a male voice shouted something. I crept quietly to the curtain and peeked round the side. It was Will.


	2. Searching for Jack

**Nelle07: I miss him too.**

**huffle-bibin: Thank you! Here you go!  
**

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I flung the door open immediately. "Will! What's happening? What's wrong? How did you get out? Where is Elizabeth?"

I bombarded him with questions as he stepped into George's house. He answered them all one after the other and was, as always, calm and direct. "Everything is fine; nothing's wrong. Beckett has struck a deal with me and Elizabeth is still in jail."

"What deal?" I asked. It seemed that I couldn't do anything except ask questions since the moment he'd arrived.

"I have to find Jack and bargain with him. If I can get Beckett Jack's compass then we'll all be free," Will explained. Jack? Will was going to find Jack?

"What do you have to bargain with?" I asked.

"Letters of Marque," Will replied. That made me laugh, I knew what Letters of Marque were and I didn't think Jack would be very keen on the idea.

"I doubt Jack will consider employment the same as being free," I smiled, imagining the look on Jack's face at the offer of working for Beckett.

"You know, that's exactly what I said," his strained face relaxed into a smile. There was a pause.

"So, have you told Elizabeth where we're going?" I asked.

"I have, but what do you mean by 'we'?" he frowned at me.

"You didn't think that I would let you go without me, did you?!? Will that's so unfair you _know_ that I could help and anyway I'd be safe from Beckett with you and Jack and-" I stopped when I saw he was laughing at me.

"I was joking, Isabel, of course you can come!" He gave me a sly smile, "Anyway, I think Jack's more likely to hand over his compass if you're there too."

"What?" I asked. From the look on his face he appeared to be attempting to make some kind of sly jibe, but its hidden meaning went straight over my head. Rather than clarifying whatever it was he just gave me a knowing smile. I could have slapped him. Instead, I scrawled a hurried note to George explaining what had happened and where I'd gone. And feeling elated by the prospect of this new adventure, I left George's without looking back.

***

Will had been promised a passage to one place of his choice and that was it, the rest was up to him. The obvious choice was Tortuga and that's where we were headed. Beckett leant us a ship. _The Comrant_ floated by the docks. Will went to speak to the Captain, but of course, I couldn't be seen. While everyone was distracted with Will I ran aboard _the Comrant_ and down into the galley. I hid among the supplies of food that were stored down there; right at the back behind a large crate. I crouched down and stayed as quite as possible.

To pass the time I daydreamed about the events that had brought us all to be in our current situation. I was so lost in the memories and thoughts about cursed treasure and pirates that it took me longer than it should have to realise that the ship was moving. It rose and fell with the swell of the tide and I could hear the waves slapping against the hull. I stayed crouched where I was for hours and eventually cramp took over in my legs and feet. I stood up slowly, holding my breath against the discomfort. I let it out and looked up. A startled pair of brown eyes looked back at me.

"Bugger," I muttered as he grabbed my arm.

***

Captain Rodger Ford was a small, stout balding man with a wheezy voice. His watery blue eyes stared at me from under his bushy white eyebrows.

"Well, well, Miss Norrington," he smirked. "Lord Beckett will be _very_ please to hear that we've found you. Were you running away to find your brother?"

"Mm mmmn mmmmn," I said through the gag.

He leaned right across the table and pulled it away from my mouth. His breath stank of fish and there was something green stuck between his teeth, "Where is your brother?" he asked slowly.

"I don't know," I shrugged, leaning away from him.

"Yes you do," he told me.

"Do I? Well, that's news to me! I must have forgotten to tell myself that!" I tried not to inhale too deeply. The smile disappeared from his face. He looked to the member of his crew who had found me.

"Bring in Turner, tell him we've found him something to do to earn his keep," said the Captain. I looked away to hide my smile. Sending Will in to watch me was a bad idea, but I wasn't about to share that information with the Captain.

Will arrived and when he saw me a small amused smile played around the corners of his mouth. He was instructed to watch me until we arrived in Tortuga. When the Captain left we began to laugh.

"What an idiot!" I giggled.

"Says the girl who managed to get caught in no less than two hours!" Will teased.

"Actually, last year I only lasted about four seconds on the Isla de Meurta before I was caught by Barbossa-"

"- twice," Will interrupted me. "You were caught twice by Barbossa."

"Yes, twice, so two hours may be my new record," I grinned. He laughed.

***

"We've arrived," a scrawny man, who looked no older than a boy, stuck his head round the door. His eyes filled with surprise when Will untied me. "No…" he said, "She's not meant to…"

"I know I'm not, but I don't fancy staying here, no offence," I ginned at him as I pushed past. He blinked at me. I strode out across the deck and broke into a run as surprised shouts came from the crew. I laughed as my feet hit the docks, by the time Captain Ford had wheezed himself out of his cabin I'd have melted into the crowds of Tortuga.

I stopped by a familiar tavern a safe distance from the _Comrant_ and waited for Will to catch up with me. Tortuga was the same as always. Same mess, same people, same smell. I'd almost forgotten how bad the smell was. Almost, but not quite. I would take years to erase that kind of memory. Will appeared and judging by his expression I guessed he too was avoiding the smell.

"Breathe through your mouth," I reminded him. He nodded. "Where to we start looking?"

"Anywhere," he replied. "We'll ask someone."

"Who?"

"Anyone, everyone," he looked around.

We walked slowly back to the docks, but the _Comrant_ was leaving and we were safe. They wouldn't dare try anything with this many pirates around. Especially with the amount of drunken ones. Will stopped by a random pirate I almost didn't see him stop and kept walking. I walked back.

"Have you seen Jack Sparrow?" Will asked.

"_Captain_," I corrected him.

"_Captain_ Jack Sparrow," Will repeated annoyed.

"Captain Jack Sparrow? Owes me four doubloons, heard he was dead," said the man sourly. I almost fainted. Will put his hand on my arm to steady me.

"I'm sure he's not, Isabel," he said calmly, steering me away. I shook my head. It seemed to be all I could do. "He probably wants him to think that to avoid paying up."

I kept nodding as Will dragged me along to another part of Tortuga. The next answer gave me a little more hope. "Singapore, that's what I heard. Sure as the tide, Jack Sparrow will end up in Singapore."

"Told you he wasn't dead," Will muttered as we walked away. We wondered aimlessly in the town for a while. The next person we spoke to didn't speak English. Will thought he knew what it was and tried to reply, but we must have offended him because he started waving his arms about and shouting at us.

It was then I saw someone I knew. It wasn't Jack. It was Scarlette and Giselle. Will turned the question on them. I knew it was a mistake from the way they glanced at each other.

"Jack Sparrow?" Giselle repeated.

"Haven't seen him in a month," commented Scarlette.

"When you find him, will you give him a message?" Giselle smirked. I stepped back, warily. Will didn't and before he could do anything she slapped him. They both walked off. I laughed at Will's disgruntled expression.

"Don't laugh!" he grumbled, rubbing his cheek. "I didn't deserve that!"

"Now where have I heard _that_ before?" I laughed at the memory. He frowned at me. I sighed, "This is hopeless! We've heard so many different stories from different people!"

"Well we can't give up!" he said.

"I know, I wasn't going to," we pressed on and came to a shrimper.

"I cannot say about Jack Sparrow, but there's an island just south of the straits where I trade spice for delicious lamb pork. Cannot say about Jack. But you'll find a ship there, a ship with black sails," the shrimper told us.

We'd found the _Pearl_. And therefore we'd found Jack.

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**Please review! **

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	3. An Abandoned Pearl

**klutzygal12: Ok, here you go! Glad you like it!**

**SaveroftheMoon: Well, I'm not going to answer them, you'll have to read on!**

**huffle-bibin: Well, here's the next bit. LOL, I love Scarlette and Giselle!**

**Sparrow'sWing21: Yup, unless Barbossa get's his hands on it!**

**Nelle07: Lol, guess who's back...**

**Valor: Lol, he must have!**

**keiraliz: Yeah, good 4 lizzie! He deserves her.**

* * *

It was the _Pearl_ sure enough. I knew it was even from a distance and my heart lifted. It had been beached on the deserted sand of a huge island. I felt a smile spread across my face, but as the fishing boat sailed nearer it faltered slightly. There were no signs of life on or around the _Pearl_.

I looked to Will in confusion, but the shrimper was there. "My brother will take you ashore," he said, indicating to the rowing boat being lowered into the water. A small man beckoned to us. I climbed down after Will and the man began to row ashore with us.

We were about half way when he suddenly stopped rowing. "Why have we stopped?" I asked.

Will turned to the shrimper's brother. "What's wrong? The beach is right there!"

The man said something foreign and looked stubborn.

"What's he saying?" I asked.

"I think it's French," Will replied. "I can…"

"**Don't **say you can speak French, Will because we both know that's a lie; you can barely speak English at the best of times!"

He glowered at me. The man said something French again and indicated to the water. His message was clear; we had to swim. We stood up.

"Bon voyage," the man said. So it _was_ French. Will dove off the side. I waited until I was sure that when I jumped in I wouldn't land on him and followed him into the cold water.

It was quite a long way to shore. Longer than it had looked anyway and we had to battle against the incoming tide. I swallowed quite a lot of salty water as I dragged myself ashore, panting. Will was only a few paces a head of me, also drawing in deep lungfuls of air. We stopped by the _Pearl_, my arms and legs were shaking due to exhaustion, but I was too distracted looking for Jack to really notice.

"Jack!" I shouted, but the only answer from the still ship was a resounding silence.

"Jack Sparrow!" Will called, just to be sure.

"Jack!" I shouted again.

"Gibbs!" Will changed the name, but I didn't bother.

"Jack!"

"Marty!"

"Jack!"

"Cotton!"

"Jack!"

"Anyone?" said Will plaintively. He turned to me, "They're not here."

"Really? (!)" I gave him a look. "They have to be here somewhere. Maybe they went looking for food or something?" I suggested. We both looked towards the overgrown jungle.

"Then they'd have gone in there," Will nodded towards it. We walked over, but something didn't seem right. Why would Jack leave the _Pearl_ completely deserted? Surely one person would stay behind to make sure nothing happened?

It was cool in the shade of the trees, but eerily quite. If Jack was within a mile radius, I was sure we'd be able to hear him. A squawk beside us made us turn and look at the parrot standing tall and proud on a branch. Cotton's parrot!

"Ah, a familiar face!" Will exclaimed. The parrot squawked at us.

"Don't eat me!" he cried. I didn't know much about parrots, but it seemed like and odd thing for one to say.

"We're not going to eat you," Will told it. He looked at me in confusion, "Why does he think we're going to eat him?"

I shrugged, "I don't know!"

"Don't eat me!" the parrot squawked again, flapping his wings.

"This conversation is pointless," I sighed.

"It's with a parrot, what do you expect?" said Will. Cotton's parrot fell silent, looked at us and flew off.

"You've offended him now!" I scolded. Will rolled his eyes, muttering something about me being ridiculous.

A shiver passed up my spine as a sudden thought struck me. _If that was Cotton's parrot, where was Cotton?_ I heard Will take a sharp intake of breath. He reached out of a flask tied to a bit of string. "Gibbs," he murmured. He pulled the flask off and started to follow the string along. I was feeling increasingly uneasy. As will reached the end of the string I saw something camouflaged in the bushes. A face.

The face saw it had been spotted and a man jumped out of the bush. I leapt backwards and soon saw that we were surrounded. They all had some form of war paint on their faces. Then I saw that Will was hanging upside down.

"Why are you upside down?" I asked. His foot was tied to a branch. He didn't hear me; he was too busy shouting at the strange men. He was swinging his sward around.

"Ahh! Let's go!" he shouted aggressively. "Come on! Who wants it? I could do this all day!"

"Be careful!" I grumbled as his sword came whistling past my ear. Something else whizzed through the air. It hid Will and he went limp. There was then a sharp pain in the side of my neck and the ground was all I saw before complete darkness.

***

Bright light made me blink. I could hear voices and not all of them were speaking English. Now I was tied upside down from a long pole.

"Jack! The compass!" I heard Will say urgently. "That's all I need! Elizabeth is in danger! We were arrested for helping you! She faces the gallows!"

"So do I!" I said, grumpy that he'd forgotten me. There was a silence. Footsteps. And then I found myself looking into Jack's upside-down brown eyes.

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**Please review... I love you forever!**

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	4. The Pelegostos

**Ooops... almost forgot Review Replies!**

**The following people will forever be loved by me:**

**keiraliz: I love Elizabeth too. Some people hate her cause she's so pretty, which I think is really shallow. Yes, you're now officially loved forever!**

**Sparrow'sWing21: Yes, waking up as prisoners is a slight handicap! lol!**

**SaveroftheMoon: Because you have to read on... (Tehe! I love being annoying!)**

**Nelle07: Yeah, that bit's hilarious! I'm starting to work on it right after this.**

**Valor: She really does have a one track mind lol! They don't meet for very long, but when they get off the island and are on the Pearl it should be interesting!**

**FairySkull: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**XX  
**

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"Isabel?" he barely even breathed it. It was such a huge surprise my heart did an odd little jump. I saw my grin of shock reflected in his eyes. I tilted my head to get a proper look at him and see if he was the same as I remembered. He wasn't. He was better. His smile grew wider, "Hello, love."

"Jack!" I said. I cast around for something intelligent to say, but before I could manage it I got distracted. "Why do you have eyes on your face?"

He laughed and opened his mouth to reply, but Will's angry tones cut him short. "Jack have you listened to **anything** I've said?! It's your fault we're in this mess and it's up to you to get us out of it!"

Jack's smile quickly faded and he looked around at the fearsome tribe, who had been looking at the two of us with interest. He took a deep breath and said something in their language. I felt myself moving away from him. He walked quickly alongside me. He leant down. "Save me," he whispered, his breath tickling my ear.

Then he was gone and the ground beneath me was moving as we were carried along. Will started shouting and kicking up a fuss, screaming something about Elizabeth, but I wasn't listening. What Jack had just said had sent my mind whirring. What did he need saving from? Whatever it was, I would do everything in my power to stop it.

***

I trust the wooden bridge underneath me. It didn't look strong enough. I eyed it suspiciously before we stopped. We were there, wherever 'there' was. I heard some ominous scraping sounds and then some disgruntled voices. Voices that were speaking English. Voices I knew.

"Curse ye all for breathin'" muttered on very distinguishable voice.

"Gibbs!" I shouted.

"Where's Gibbs?" Will called, hearing my shout.

"Here!" Gibbs replied. "What are you two doing here?"

I yelped as the ropes tying my hands were suddenly cut loose. I whacked my back off the hard wood of the bridge, but it must have been stronger than I thought because I didn't go through it. I was momentarily winded, but had no time to recover before I was hauled to my feet. I heard another thwack and an "Ooof" from nearby and assumed the same thing had just happened to Will. I felt myself being pushed forward and shoved into a huge, round cage that had been pulled onto the bridge.

Gibbs, Marty and Cotton were sanding in the cage along with some pirates I didn't recognise. They smiled at me and Will as he was pushed in after me. The tribe men pushed the cage and it teetered in the edge before it tipped over the side of the bridge. I bit back a scream. The cage was slowly, but not carefully, lowered into the chasm of grey rock that the bridge had stretched between. We swung through air on a long piece of rope as we went down. I hoped the rope, like the bridge was stronger than it looked.

I concentrated on not looking down, I didn't want to see how deep the chasm was encase the rope was indeed to snap.

"Gibbs, why is Jack out there and not in here?" I asked.

"He's the chief," Gibbs replied. We came to a not-so-gentle stop.

"If Jack is chief then why is he doing this to us?" asked Will angrily.

"Aye, the Pelegostos made Jack their chief, but he is only their chief so long as he **acts** like a chief," Gibbs explained. Will relaxed a little.

"So he had no choice, he's a captive then, as much as the rest of us," he muttered.

"Worse as it turns out," said Gibbs. I gulped. What could be worse than being suspended in the air by a thin piece of rope? "The Pelegostos believe Jack is a God in human form…"

That made me laugh despite the seriousness of Gibbs's tone, "I can't see him objecting to that!"

Gibbs looked at me seriously and my laughter fell short. "They intend to do the honour of releasing him from his fleshy prison."

I felt a horrible sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Will looked confused. To illustrate what Gibbs meant and confirm my fears, Cotton grabbed Gibbs's hand and bit it. Gibbs winced in pain and glowered at Cotton before turning sombrely back to us, "They'll roast him and eat him."

"No!" I choked out and my hand flew to my mouth. My eyes stung.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Will was just as alarmed as I, but unlike me, he was more calm and composed.

"These cages weren't built until **after **we got here," Gibbs told us and realizing that his hand was resting on the bones of a former crew member, not bars of a cage, he quickly removed it. He looked around, as a drum beat started in the distance, "The feast is about to begin. Jack's life will end when the drums stop."

"Then we can't just sit here and wait, can we?" I said, determined to save Jack. No matter what the cost.


	5. Bone Cages

**Hey guys! This chapters quite long (sorry) but I'm in a writey mood so I might get the next bit up too! Hehehe!**

**Keiraliz**: **Aww, I'm alright with heights, but I still don't think I'd like to be there! I completely agree; Lizzie has just as many flaws as any of them. **

**Nelle07: They actually are! Soooo dreamy! Yum...**

**Fairy Skull: Lol! I'd rather have the live one!**

**Klutzygal: They haunt us all.**

**SaveroftheMoon: I laugh at that bit too. It's cool, ask when you remember.  
**

**Valor: Oh no! What ever shall you do with your bipolar stutter?!? OMG! There's quiet a lot of almost JackXIsabel in DMC, I'll warn you now!**

**Thanks to you all! XX**

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It was Will who came up with the idea to start swinging the cage by unanimously throwing our body weights around. It worked. At first it swung slowly, but pretty soon it began to gather speed. The pirates in the cage hanging next to us saw what we were doing and began to do the same. The wind whistled past us and soon we were swinging high enough that the vine covered sides of the chasm were in touching distance. We strained and reached out for the vines, but each time fell back wards. On about the fifth attempt I felt the vines brush against my fingers, but then all I felt at my fingertips was air and the cadge swung back. With on last, huge effort we managed to swing far and fast enough to get a grip on a rough green vine.

It was a huge effort to keep a hold of it. It grazed my hand as it slipped through, but I managed to stay clinging to it long enough to secure my grip with my other hand too.

"Put your legs through! Start to climb!" Gibbs ordered. We did and slowly and strenuously began to pull ourselves up.

"Come on men!" Will encouraged. "It'll take all of us to crew the _Black Pearl_!"

"Actually," said a dark skinned man with dreadlocks from the other cage. "You wouldn't need everyone, `bout six would do."

There was along silence as we all stopped climbing and looked at each other. I worried about the men in the other cages that we would have to now battle against to reach the _Pearl_ first, but then I noticed something even more worrying. The silence was exactly that. Silence. The drums had stopped.

I inwardly panicked and my brain and heart froze, but somehow I heard myself scream, "Hurry! Move! Come on!"

There was an explosion of movement as everyone began a mad scramble for the top. A one point I looked down to see that I'd cut my hand on a vine and it was bleeding, but I barely felt it. I was charged with the desperate need to get to the top that blotted out all feelings and distractions. I was the last to hear Will's warning for us to stop. What was he doing?

I looked around and saw him indicate to where one of the Pelegostos was walking across the bridge that stretched out far above us. He hadn't spotted us, but we would have to wait until he had passed before continuing our climb. I glanced at the other cage. They had started to slowly climb up, jeering and smirking at us as they got a head of us.

We shook our heads at them to try and stop them, but they paid no attention. One of them grabbed at a vine that came off in his hand. Then it began to wriggle and move. It was a snake. "Ah! Ah! Snake!" he shouted.

The others in the cage began to scream and let go of the vines they were holding. They slipped from the wall if the cliff and the cage fell back. I looked away as the rope snapped and their screams faded into the dizzying depths of the chasm.

"Move!" Will shouted and we started to climb again. The Pelegosto had seen us and was running back to his village. The climb became more urgent and hurried.

We reached the top and managed to roll the cage over the top, but the race against time was far from over. "Find a rock!" Will shouted. "Cut it loose!"

Marty found one and Will managed to cut through the rope. We could hear shouts and cries from the Pelegostos.

"Lift the cage!" Will shouted.

"Aye, lads! Lift it like a lady's skirt!" Gibbs shouted.

"Watch it!" I warned him.

We lifted the cage and started to run. Marty was too short and his tiny legs dangled there, not touching the ground. The Pelegostos crashed through the bushes behind us, hot on our heels. We ran and ran, but they were closing in on us. "Roll the cage!" Will shouted.

We put the cage down on the forest floor and began to roll it. Sky became ground and ground became sky until it they were both just one blur. I felt like I was going to be sick. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut as we were all thrown about the cage. I banged my head off someone's elbow and a foot connected with my jaw. Then the ground disappeared and we were suspended in mid-air, still spinning. We came crashing down.

I felt the cage break around me as we hit a pool of water. I scrambled out and arrows from the bows of the Pelegostos flew through the air. We swam into the shelter of a cave. The world was still spinning. I pulled myself up on to a ledge and sat there watching the others swim by, heading towards the _Pearl_, but I wasn't going to join them, not yet.

The Pelegostos had given up and gone running after something else. I stood up on the ledge and began to scramble up the slope we had just fallen down.

"Isabel! Where are you going?!" Will shouted from the water.

"To find Jack," I shouted back from where I stood looking down on them. I turned and walked away before he could argue with me. I would only look for a bit and then if I found nothing I would return to the _Pearl_. The drums had been silent for ages now and I wanted to know what had become of Jack.

I walked for a few minutes in the green of the forest and then I heard screams in the distance. It sounded as if they were coming from above. I looked up. Something quite large was falling from the sky. It crashed through many bridges on its way down.

Then Jack landed in front of me, followed by some large pieces of fruit and a long pole. He groaned as he lay in the long grass. I checked to see that nothing else was going to fall before I approached him.

"Jack," I smiled as I stood over him. He groaned again.

"Hello," he sounded winded. I put out my hand for him. He took it and I helped him to his feet. "Can you untie me; I seem to be tied to a pole?"

"Sure," I laughed and found the end of the rope that was tied round his waist. I unpicked the rope. I smiled, "There you go."

"Thanks," he muttered. I caught sight of something on his hand. He saw my looking at his hand and quickly moved it.

"Jack!" I grabbed at his hand before he could hide it. I turned it over and inspected the bandage. It was clean, no sign of blood on it at all. "Why is there a bandage on your hand? What happened? Did you land on it last time you fell from the sky? (!)"

"No!" he snapped, pulling his hand sharply away from mine. "It's nothing!"

"Sorry I brought it up," I said as he walked away from me in a cold silence. I stared at him I hadn't expected him to react so badly to my perfectly reasonable question. I walked after him, but kept at a distance. He slowed down and sighed. "Sorry, love," he glanced at me. "It hasn't exactly been the best of weeks."

"It's alright," I said and he smiled as I fell into step with him. There was a short silence.

"How've you been?" he asked, but before I could reply the Pelegostos came crashing out of the bushes behind me.

"Bugger!" Jack cursed. "Will these people **never** give up?"

He grabbed my hand and we began to run towards the sea. I could hear the Pelegostos crashing through the undergrowth after us. As we ran my dress got snagged on a vine Jack stopped and uncaught it.

"That dress is awful fancy." he commented as we started running again. "And not all that practical for running around in."

"It's a wedding dress, it's not meant to be practical," I explained. "And I didn't exactly have time to change." He stopped very suddenly and stared at me, his mouth hanging slightly open. "Come on!" I shouted, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. He seemed to have lost the ability to talk.

We ran out onto the beach. I groaned at how far away the _Pearl_ was. It was quite hard to run on sand. My feet kept sinking into it. The Pelegostos didn't seem to have any trouble. They were still shouting and running after us. I was glad to see that the others had made it back to the _Pearl _and were getting ready to make sail. I wasn't, however, expecting to see the dog from the Port Royale jail. He was standing on the sand barking and baring his teeth fiercely at the Pelegostos.

"Good boy!" Jack told him as we ran past, but I couldn't leave a poor defenceless dog there. I scooped him up and pushed him up the side of the _Pearl_ as I scrambled up after him. Jack rolled his eyes at me, but said nothing. He made sure I was safely on board before he climbed up afterwards. He turned to the Pelegostos, "My children, you will always remember as the day that you almost-"

His words were drowned by massive wave that came and smacked him on the back of the head. The smile was gone from his face and he spat out some sea water. "- Captain Jack Sparrow," he finished half-heartedly.

I laughed at him as he climbed onto the deck looking bedraggled. He didn't even meet my eyes and I got the impression I had done something wrong. He strode straight past me as if I wasn't even there and began a conversation with Gibbs. I stared after him confused. What was wrong with him?

I wasn't the only one trying to get his attention. "Jack!" Will called. "Elizabeth is in danger!" I joined Will as he followed Jack around the _Pearl_.

"Have you considered keeping a more watchful eye on her?" Jack suggested, not even bothering to look up from what he was doing. "Maybe lock her up somewhere?"

"She _is_ locked up," Will replied, "in prison, bound to hang for helping you."

"There comes a time when one must take responsibility for one's mistakes," Jack shrugged casually. I hardly had time to blink before Will had pulled out a sword and was pointing it at Jack.

"I need that compass of yours, Jack," he said. "I must trade it for her freedom."

Jack didn't answer Will; instead he looked to Gibbs, "Mr. Gibbs?"

"Captain?"

"We have a need to travel up river."

Gibbs looked worried, "You mean a need as in a trifling need, fleeting, as in, say a passing fancy?"

"No, a resolute and unyielding need," Jack replied.

"What we need to do is make sail for Port Royale with all haste!" Will contradicted, annoyed that his protests seemed to be going unnoticed.

"William," said Jack sounding tired. "I will trade you the compass if you help me to find this."

He pulled out at small piece of cloth and showed it to Will. It was the picture of a key.

"You want me to find this?" Will looked at the grubby bit of cloth.

"No, you want you to find this because the finding of this finds you incapacitorially finding and or locating in your discovering the detecting of a way to free your dolly belle ol' …what's her face, savvy?" said Jack. I was proud to be able to say that I had followed everything he'd said.

Will took the cloth, "This is going to save Elizabeth?"

Jack glanced at us, "How much do you know about Davy Jones?"

"Not much," said Will, he looked to me, "Isabel?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but Jack cut me off and carried on the conversation as if I wasn't part of it. "Yup, that's going to save Elizabeth."

Will looked as confused at Jack's shortness, but he'd got what he wanted and turned and left.

"Jack?" I approached him. He didn't look up or acknowledge that I was there. I felt something deep inside me snap. "For goodness sake, Jack! Stop being such a bloody child! You can't ignore me if you won't even tell me what it was that I did or said in the past ten minutes that seems to have offended you so much!" He looked at me then, but still remained silent. He opened his mouth.

"Mr. Gibbs!" he called as he walked off. I felt the dog nuzzled at my leg and I knelt down my hands in his fur. I sighed. I would just have to wait until I stopped annoying him or been forgiven… for whatever it was I'd done in the first place.


	6. The Black Spot

**nineteennintytwo: Thanks. You'll find out now.**

**Fairy Skull: Yeah, I love the dog!**

**Saverofthemoon: Well, here it is!**

**Nelle07: Thanks, hope you like this one too!**

**keiraliz: Whoop whoop! We should start a club! I love pirates music! Will DOES have bad luck, but they all do, don't they?  
**

* * *

I was pulled from my dreams by someone vigorously shaking me. I groaned from deep inside my warm covers and tried to ignore them. The shaking stubbornly continued.

"Go away and stop shaking me," I grumbled, not opening my eyes. "Or I'll…" my sleep-addled brain tried to think of a threat, "… stab you in the eye!"

The shaking continued. "Isabel," Jack's voice was at my ear. I opened my eyes. I didn't have to wince against the glare of the morning sun because there was no morning sun. It was still night. Why was he waking me up in the middle of the night?

"What?" I said. My grumpy tones cut through the snores in the crews' cabin, but nobody woke up. Jack shushed me.

"I need to talk to you," he hissed. That made me more than slightly cross, but I couldn't raise my voice encase I woke anyone else.

"You've hardly said a bloody word to me all day and now you decide to wake me up in the middle of the night for a chat?!?"

"I don't want 'a chat', love, we need to talk," he said. He sounded serious, but I wasn't going to give in that easily.

"You had the chance to talk to me all day and you didn't." I turned over. There was a long silence and a sigh.

"Fine then!" he snapped. "Never mind!"

I heard his footsteps fade across the floor and then up the stairs. I tried to sleep, but I couldn't. It didn't have anything to do with the loud snores from the crew; I could sleep through them. It was the guilt gnawing at my insides that was keeping me up. I sighed as I rolled out of bed. I was too good natured for my own good.

I let out a yelp as my feet touched the cold floor, but I couldn't be bothered with shoes. I climbed the steps up onto the deck and shivered in the night air. This had better be important. I scanned the empty deck. The dark wood was a little wet and the reflection of the moons and the stars twinkled in the tiny pools of water. The lights flickered in the Captain's cabin. I walked over. I swallowed my pride, raised my hand and knocked. There was no answer.

"Jack," I called softly, but loud enough for him to hear. "I'm coming in."

I waited, but there was no protest, so I pushed the door open and stuck my head round the gap. Jack was sitting at a desk in the middle of the room surrounded by maps and papers. He looked up. We stared at each other in silence.

"Sorry, Jack." I said eventually. "Do you still want to talk to me about whatever it was?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Come in."

I stepped in and shut the door behind me. I tried to read his expression, but it was hard. I'd never seen him like this. He seemed really tense and upset. He took a deep breath, "Um… first of all, congratulations, Isabel."

"Thank you," I said slowly. "But what for?"

"You're marriage," he replied, looking away. I felt my mouth drop open. I was married? That was news to me. "To George I presume," he continued.

"I'm not married to George," I said, a little shocked.

"Oh, well, whoever it is…"

"I'm not married to anyone," I blinked at him.

"Well you must be," Jack looked at me like I was stupid. "You're in a wedding dress."

"Yes I am, but I'm in **_a_** wedding dress, not **_my_** wedding dress!" I rolled my eyes. "It was **_Elizabeth's _**wedding. I'm chief bridesmaid! Or, I was until Beckett came and ruined it; anyway, the wedding hasn't actually been yet."

"Oh," Jack seemed to have cheered up. I didn't know what he was grinning about, but at least he seemed to have relaxed. There was a silence.

"Is that all?"

"No," his mood changed again and he looked serious. "You asked me what was wrong with my hand," he pushed his chair back and stood up. He crossed over to me and held out his bandaged hand for me to look at, "Have a look."

I felt his eyes stay fixed on me as I peeled back the bandages. Still, there was no blood or sign of a wound. Then the last layer came off. I heard myself gasp.

In the palm of Jack's hand was a large black spot. It was like all the flesh there was rotting, moulding and decaying before my eyes. It was painful to look at, but not because I was squeamish. I could stand the sight of blood and most wounds, but not this. My eyes met Jack's and for a moment I was lost for words.

"Jack…" I whispered. He bit his lip, not quite sure what to take from my reaction. "What…? How…?" I couldn't seem to form a whole sentence. "The Black Spot," he said. The way he said it made it sound so final. "Jones's beastie is after me and just being here puts you in danger."

"What's going to happen to you?" I whispered.

"If it catches me, I'll go to the Locker," said Jack. "_If _it catches me."

I wasn't incredibly familiar with the stories of Davy Jones, but I knew enough. Davy Jones's 'beastie' was the Kraken and I had certainly heard stories about that. A huge sea monster that took the lives of many sailors and destroyed entire ships; a tale made to scare children, or so I had thought. Yet here stood Jack with the real Black Spot, talking about a real Kraken. None of that scared or worried me half as much as what I saw in Jack's eyes; real fear. If he was worried about this then there was definitely reason to worry.

I kept a hold of his hand and took the other one. "Which he's not going to," I said softly. Jack shook his head.

"No, love, you're right, he's not. I'll repay Jones."

"Or cheat him," I smiled. He smiled back.

"Yeah, that's more likely."

I nodded, "Do the crew know?"

He shook his head, "No. I, erm… don't want to worry them."

"But you don't mind worrying me?" I teased.

"No," he murmured. "I trust you." I felt him wrap his arms around me and I smiled.

"Then I shall keep this between us." I said as he pulled me into a tight hug. He thanked me gruffly. This was the Jack I remembered. Not the grumpy one of eirlier that day. I was going to ask him what I had done, but I didn't want to spoil the moment so I stayed quiet. There was no way I was going to let the Kraken anywhere near him. I didn't even think about what would happen if I lost him because that wasn't going to happen. It hurt too much to even think about loosing my friend that way.

I pulled away from him murmuring a 'goodnight' and went to the door.

"Isabel!" he called. I turned in the doorway.

"Yes?"

He looked at me with a small frown creasing his brow. He seemed to be wresteling ove a decision, but changed him mind, "Never mind."

"Alright," I shrugged. "Night"

"'Night."


	7. Her

**SaveroftheMoon: Yeah, you probably guessed right.**

**nineteennintytwo: I let you decide that for yourself!**

**Nelle07: Here's another one for you!**

**keiraliz: Have a great time in Europe! Where about are you going? Sleep (or a lack of it) does do odd things to us!**

**klutzygal: I know... sooo annoying!**

**Fairy Skull: Thanks! But I don't think they've really realized what's in the air yet!**

**Valor: Aww, that's ok, mine breaks all the time too! Good l-l-l-l-l-l-luck with your st-t-t-t-t-tut-t-t-tt-er-r-r-r-r-!!! Le crap! It's contt-t-t-t-t-t-agious!  
**

* * *

We said nothing to anyone of what had been discussed the night before. They must have noticed that we were back on speaking terms again, but nobody said anything. I got the feeling Jack was worried I would say something. He was constantly hovering around when I was talking to other people. He seemed really agitated and tense as the day wore on. I didn't know where we were going; all I knew was that we were heading 'up river'.

The _Pearl _slowed to a stop outside the mouth to a river and the crew set about lowering longboats into the waves. Jack was paler than normal and a lot more jumpy. I followed Will down into one of them and Gibbs squished up to let us in. We started rowing up the moth of the river. Will didn't know what we were doing here either, but I don't think he really cared. As long as we were doing something to help Elizabeth he didn't mind what it was. He had, however, noticed Jacks skittish behaviour.

"Why is Jack so afraid of open water?" he asked. I listened intently, but kept my mouth clamped firmly shut.

"Well," Gibbs looked around. "If you believe such things, there's a beast does the bidding of Davy Jones. A monstrous creature with giant tentacles that'll suction your and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness. The Kraken." Gibbs shuddered and a shiver ran up my spine. "Imagine… the last thing you know on God's green earth is the roar of the Kraken and the reeking odour of a thousand rotting corpses…" Gibbs trailed off and adopted a casual air, "If you believe such things."

Even though Gibbs looked away it was obvious from his eyes that he did. I swallowed. "That's not going to happen," I stated.

"And the key will spare him that?" asked Will.

"Well, that's exactly the question Jack wants answered, bad enough to go visit _her_," said Gibbs.

"_Her?_" Will repeated.

"Aye," Gibbs nodded solemnly. "Her."

We didn't speak for the rest of the journey. I wondered idly who 'her' was. By the sound of things it didn't seem like Gibbs or Jack were thrilled about paying her a visit. The river turned into a swamp and we stopped outside a wooden shack. Gibbs's features filled with dread. Jack climbed out of the boat and turned to face everyone.

"No worries, mates," he assured us. "Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable we are… were… have been… before…"

He trailed off looking worried. "I'll watch your back," Gibbs offered.

"It's me front I'm worried about." Jack replied and turned to face the door.

"Mind the boat," Gibbs told Will.

"Mind the boat," Will told Ragetti.

"Mind the boat," Ragetti told Pintel.

"Mind the boat," Pintel told Marty, but Marty took one look around the swamp and decided he didn't fancy staying out here on his own.

"Mind the boat," he said to Cotton and ran into the shack.

"Mind the boat!" Cotton's parrot squawked as he flapped off. Cotton looked at me hopefully.

"No chance!" I shook my head and entered the shack.

When I walked in I almost whacked my head off one of the many things hanging from the ceiling. When I looked at it more closely I was disgusted to see it was a jar of eyes. Everyone was looking at a Caribbean woman in a ragged, torn dress and black dreadlocks.

"You know I demand payment!" she said.

"I brought payment," said Jack holding up a cage containing Jack the monkey. He then pulled out a gun and shot him. The monkey screeched, but that was about the only reaction it got. "An undead monkey," Jack announced placing it on the table. "Top that!

Tia set the monkey free, which Gibbs was not too pleased about. He protested about how long it had taken to catch were ignored.

"The payment is fair," Tia nodded.

"We're looking for this," Will handed her the drawing of the key. "And what it leads to."

Tia looked up sharply at Jack. "The compass you bartered from me cannot lead you to this?" she asked. Everyone looked to Jack.

Jack looked shifty, "Maybe, why?"

Tia's amber eyes fell on me for a second and she smiled. "Ah Jack Sparrow does not know what he wants. Or do you know, but are loathed to claim it for your own?" Jack didn't reply and Tia looked back to the key. "Your key go to a chest and it's what lay inside the chest you seek, don't it?"

"What is inside?" asked Gibbs with a growing interest.

"Gold? Jewels? Unclaimed properties of a valuable nature?" Pintel asked with excitement.

"Nothing bad, I hope," Pintel glanced worriedly at the jar of eyeballs I had nearly injured my self with.

"You know of Davy Jones, yes? A man of the sea, a great sailor. `Till he ran afoul of that which vexes all men," said Tia mysteriously.

"What vexes all men?" Will asked the question on the mind of everyone present.

"What indeed?" Tia smiled.

"Well," Gibbs tried to hazard a guess, "the sea."

Tia shook her head.

"Sums," said Pintel. I wasn't sure how someone could run afoul of sums.

Tia shook her head.

"The dichotomy of good and evil," the guess earned Ragetti many puzzled looks.

"A woman," stated Jack looking at us like we were all idiots.

Tia gave him an amused smile as we all looked at him. She nodded. "A woman, he fell in love."

"No, no, no, I heard it was the sea he fell in love with," Gibbs contradicted her. I was surprised he survived the glare she gave him.

"Same story different versions, but all are true," she said. I wasn't quite sure how that was possible, but I didn't want to interrupt. "It was a woman, as changing and harsh and untameable as the sea. Him never stopped loving her, but the pain it cause him was too much for him to live with, but not enough to cause him to die."

"What exactly did he put in the chest?" Will asked.

"Him heart," she replied. There was a shocked silence.

"Literally or figuratively?" Ragetti asked.

"He couldn't literally put his hear in a chest!" Pintel rolled his eyes. "Could he?"

"It wasn't worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings so him carve out him heart, lock it away in a chest and hide the chest from the world. The key he keeps with him at all times."

"Aww," I said quietly, but not quietly enough. Everyone looked at me. I hadn't meant to 'aww' out loud. "Well, it's sort of sweet in a disgusting way."

Tia gave me a small smile. Jack shook his head at me, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"You knew this!" said Will, standing up; the amusement vanished from Jack's eyes.

"I did not. I didn't know where the key was, but now we do. So all that's left is for you to climb aboard the _Flying Dutchman_ grab the key and you can go back to Port Royale and save your bonny, eh."

He tried to leave, but Tia wasn't going to let him go that easily. "Let me see your hand!" she said sharply.

I sprang to his defence, "He doesn't have to show you anything he doesn't want to!" I stood in front of him. Tia narrowed he eyes, but I didn't stand down.

"It's okay, love," aid Jack softly, placing his bandaged hand on my shoulder and holding his other one out for Tia to see. She wasn't fooled and he reluctantly held out his other hand. She unwrapped the bandage and the black spot was revealed to the rest of the room.

I looked away. It wasn't something I wanted to see again.

"The black spot!" Gibbs cried turning in a full circle and spitting in the ground. Pintel and Ragetti did the same, although I don't think they knew why. Everyone in the room shrank away from Jack as if it was contagious. I frowned at them all.

"My eyesight's as good as ever, just so you know," said Jack, wrapping up his hand again. Tia had disappeared, muttering to herself. She emerged from another room carrying a large jar of dirt which she presented to Jack.

"Davy Jones cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you are safe Jack Sparrow, so you will carry land with you."

"Dirt," Jack took it. "This is a jar of dirt."

"Yes."

"Is the jar of dirt going to help?"

"If you don't want it, give it back," she said.

"No!" Jack clutched the jar to him protectively.

"Then it helps."

"It seems we have a need to find the _Flying Duchman_," Will stated, bringing us away from the madness of the jar of dirt.

Tia took a handful of crab claws. "A touch of destiny!" she said throwing them down on the table. I didn't quite see the point, but Jack did. He looked at them, memorised the pattern and then announced that it was time to leave.

***

Back on the _Pearl_ Jack shot off to his cabin. I went to see if he was alright. He shouted for me to come in and I found him looking intently at a map on his table.

"Come and look at this, love," he said. I peered over his shoulder. He pointed to a cluster of islands. "Does that look like the same pattern that the cab claws were in?"

"Yes," I looked at them, surprised. "It looks exactly the same."

He sighed, "I thought you might say that."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

He nodded slowly, "It's just… there's a lot of open water between here and there."

"We'll make it," I said. I took his hand in mine without really realizing I was doing it. He looked at me. I blinked back. He seemed just as surprised as I was. What was I doing?

"I have to go," I announced, turning away. I felt a hand grab my arm and he pulled me back.

"No you don't," he said softly. He brushed a strand of hair from my face.

I really didn't know what was going on with me. My heart was racing; my hands clammy and I could feel a blush creeping up the side of my neck. My stomach felt like it had tied itself in knots.

"I do! I have to speak to Geor- no! James, Eliza-…. No WILL!" I gabbled, searching for the name of someone who was actually on board. I tore myself away, flustered by the whole thing and the door slammed behind me. My hands were shaking. What was wrong with me? And what had happened in there?


	8. Davy Jones

**Hi guys!**

**SaveroftheSun: Love the new name! What made you change it? Hope you weren't waiting long!**

**Nineteennintytwo: Yes, it would have been rather interesting if he had, wouldn't it?**

**Fairy Skull: Ta, I love the 'mind the boat' bit too, how could you miss that out?**

**klutzygall2: Don't think Izzy caught that, soz.**

**Nelle07: Yeah, she was!**

**Valor: My fr-r-r-r-iend thought that t-t-t-oo! "A torch of destiny..." LOL, a magical, glowing t-t-t-t-t-torch. Maybe it can cure st-t-t-t-tut-t-t-ters!  
**

* * *

I hid in a cabin until I'd calmed down. I don't know what I was so worked up about. What was my problem? There was nothing I could think of that could have set me off like that. No matter how many times I played the conversation back in my head I couldn't see what had seemingly made my brain fall out.

After a while Will found me. "I've been looking for you," he said. "What are you doing in here?"

"Erm… just… you know… making tea," I said.

"Alright," he shrugged. Now what was I on about? Will turned back round. "Where's the tea?"

"Erm… well, I did make tea and then I left it in the galley…" I started to rambled about something, but luckily Will got bored with it quickly.

"Ok," he cut across me loudly. "Jack says we're here."

I nodded and decide that it was defiantly safer to keep my mouth shut at from now on. I followed him up onto the deck. It was chucking it down with a rain that soaked me to the skin within a matter of seconds. I shivered. Will stood with me at the rail. I could see a wrecked ship in the stormy grey waters. Why were we here? After a few moments we were joined by Jack and Gibbs.

"That's the _Flying Duchman_?" Will asked. "She doesn't look like much."

"Neither do you," said Jack bluntly. "Don't underestimate her."

I tried not to, but it was hard to imagine the ship sailing let alone fighting the fearsome battles that had made it legendary. There was a whack and Gibbs grunted like something had hit him. "Must have run afoul of the reef," he said.

"So what's your plan then?" Jack asked.

"I row over, search the ship until I find your bloody key," he said.

"And if there are crewmen?" Jack tested.

"I cut down anyone in my path," he said.

Jack nodded, "I like it; simple, easy to remember."

I was getting a bit nervous about seeing the fearsome Jones, but I was sure everything would be okay. A longboat was being lowered into the choppy waves.

"Your chariot awaits you, sire!" shouted Ragetti over the crash of the sea.

"Let's go," I said turning towards the boat. An arm pulled me back.

"You're not going." I had expected it to be Will, but it was Jack who was arguing with me.

"_**Pardon?**_" I stared at him.

"You're not going!" he said again.

"Yes I am."

"No, you're not," he said sternly.

"Why not?!?"

"Because I am the Captain and my word is final!"

"That is not a valid reason!"

He grabbed my roughly by the shoulders. I struggled against him. "You're **not **going! Will can do this alone and you need to stay here!"

"Why?!" I demanded. "Why do I need to stay here?"

"He's gone, sir," Gibbs interrupted our bickering. Jack looked relieved. I glowered at him.

"Douse the lamps," Jack ordered.

"Why? What's going on? Why couldn't I go with Will? Am I not as valuable as him?"

"**Stop asking so many bloody questions Isabel!**" Jack shouted; his face right up against mine. He pushed me away from him and stomped off. He shouted something over to Will about something that might save his life. I felt my eyes sting around the corners. I blinked. Gibbs was staring at me.

"I don't know what his problem is," I muttered. Candles everywhere on the _Pearl_ were blown out and she became almost invisible in the darkness.

"If it helps, Miss, I don't think it's a case you being _less_ valuable," said Gibbs kindly.

"What?"

He didn't even answer; he just gave me a smile and a pat on the back as he walked away. Sometimes I wondered why I liked pirates. Why was Jack forcing me to stay here? Why couldn't I help Will? Surely two would be better than one?

I sighed, blinked and suddenly the deck was full of people. Where had they come from? One of them grabbed my and I realized that they weren't ordinary pirates. They were all half human and half… well, I don't know what. Some had sea creatures stuck onto their skin and some of them were actually part sea animal. I wrinkled my nose. They smelt like fish.

"You have a debt to pay," a man with the head of a squid squared up to Jack. The fish men had made a circle around their Captain and ours. I guessed that he was Davy Jones. "You've been Captain of the _Black Pearl_ for thirteen years; that was our agreement."

Jack had gone slightly pale, "Technically I was only Captain for two years, then I was viciously mutinied upon…"

"Then you were a poor Captain, but a Captain nonetheless!" sneered Jones.

"You've got my payment; one soul to serve on your ship. He's already over there," said Jack. Who was already over there? Surely he didn't mean Will? Did he?

"One soul is not equal to another," said Jones stubbornly. I saw a glimmer appear in Jack's eyes.

"Aha, so we've established my proposal is sound in principle, now we're just haggling over price."

"Price?" Jones repeated. He'd fallen into one of Jack's traps.

"Just how many souls do you think my soul is worth?"

Jones thought for a minute, "One hundred souls, three days."

Jack brightened, but I don't know why. One hundred souls in three days sounded pretty impossible to me. "You're a diamond mate, send me back the boy and I'll get started right off."

"I keep the boy, a good faith payment. That leaves you only ninety-nine more to go," he laughed a cold, cruel laugh and his crew joined in.

Jack didn't seem disheartened, "Have you not met Will Turner? He's noble, heroic, terrific soprano, worth at least four… maybe three and a half. And did I mention… he's in love?" Jack began to circle Jones and for a moment it looked like he was the one manipulating the conversation, "With a girl. Due to be married, betrothed. Dividing him from her and her from him would only be half as cruel as actually allowing them to be joined in holy matrimony, eh?"

"I keep the boy," Jones snapped out of whatever state he had slipped into. "Ninety-nine more to go."

"I'll go." I said, sounding braver than I felt. Why was I talking? I hadn't told myself I could talk. But there I was, talking. Jones looked at me curiously. The rest of his crew turned too. Jack's eyes grew wide. He shook his head at me. Jones's eyes flickered from me to Jack.

"Give me the girl and I'll half your debt," he said advancing towards me. He pulled me sharply towards him.

"No!" Jack shouted. Jones grinned.

"It's alright Jack, I'll go," I assured him.

"No," he said firmly. "She stays with me."

"No?" Jones repeated. "I never thought a common wench could have such a strong hold on you, Sparrow."

_Wench? Who the bloody hell was he calling a wench?_ I kicked him, but I think I did more damage to myself than to him. I'd kicked his wooden leg and my foot started to throb in pain. It made him angry though. His clawed hand grabbed my neck, cutting off my air supply. I chocked. His cold, grey eyes were full of anger. "Not… a … wench…" I choked out.

"Then I'll be doing you and Sparrow a favour if I kill you," he whispered, tightening his grip on my neck. I couldn't breathe. My eyes rolled back into my head. I couldn't hear what else he said. Jack was saying something, but my world was starting to turn black. I tried to breathe, but I couldn't even get a tiny bit of air in. I slipped from reality and everything was gone.


	9. 99 Souls

**SaveroftheSun: No, sorry, she's staying.**

**Nineteennintytwo: Sorry about that and thanks for pointing it out, I've changed it.**

**Fairy Skull: Thanks, glad you liked it and I hope you didn't have to wait long!**

**Sparrow'sWing21: Lol I hope you find your cool again.**

**callieandjack: You shall find out now!**

**Valor: Yes-ss he would-d-d-d b-b-b-be ver-r-r-r-r-y help-p-p-p-pful! **

**Nelle07: Yeah, she's not too bright sometimes!  
**

* * *

I hit the floor. I gasped in long rasping breaths that were painful to take in. It felt like someone's nails were dragging along the back of my throat. I opened my eyes. Jones and his crew were gone. I still couldn't see properly, but I could feel Jack's arms around me and hear his voice by my ear. I didn't know what he was saying, but it was comforting to hear him and know that I wasn't yet dead.

I felt something rise in my throat. I coughed it up, wincing as each painful cough shook my body. It happened again.

"Mary mother of God! She's coughing up blood!" I heard Gibbs say.

I tried to tell him not to panic, but I couldn't get anything out.

"Izzy!" Jack kept saying over and over. I kept coughing and coughing. Jack pulled me up so I could sit upright. It helped and pretty soon the coughing was close to subsiding.

"Can I-" I coughed again.

"What? What is it? What do you want?" asked Jack in the pause. Well, if he'd jut be quite I could tell him.

"Can I have some water?" I asked. My voice was quite and hoarse and it felt like I was swallowing gravel.

"**Someone get her some water**!" Jack bellowed in my ear. In his hurry to get me to drink he practically shove the cup up my nose.

"Ooof," I said as he did so. He found my lips and lifted the cup to them. I drank. The cool water soothed my throat. I'd had enough, but Jack kept tipping more in. I waved my arms around to signal that I'd had all I needed. "Mnnghf," I said through a mouthful of water.

"What is it, love?" he asked. I swallowed.

"I've had enough," I said. "Thank you."

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes." He helped me to my feet, looking as though he couldn't decide whether to be relieved or angry.

"Good, because I am _very _cross with you, love!" he settled for being angry. He grabbed my arm and pulled my away from the rest of the crew.

"Why? What did I do?"

"You _offered_ to go with Jones," he sounded disgusted by it. "Nobody _offers_ to go with Jones."

"But Jack, it could have cleared your debt to him and set you free, or at least have got you closer to freedom!" I though that he of all people would understood why I'd offered and be grateful for it.

"I don't want to be free if-" he broke off. There was a silence, he looked away.

"If what?" I pressed. "If someone innocent goes in you place? That can't be right, because you sent Will!"

There was an angry silence. He looked at me. "I sent Will because I had to."

"You didn't have to trick him!"

"He wouldn't have gone otherwise!"

"But _**I**_ would have!!" I said. Why was this so hard for him to understand? And why was he being so bloody difficult? It made me want to scream. He pushed my back up against a wall. He looked a mixture of furious and… something else, something deep in his eyes that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"You need to stay _here_!" he shouted. He shook me and my back whacked against the wall. His voice cracked and dropped so low it was almost a whisper, "I need you here, love. You're the only one I can trust."

I sighed, placing my hand on his cheek. "Jack," I whispered.

"Oh dear, love, look at your neck!" he said. One of his hands reached out and touched my neck. Pain shot up it. I winced. I pushed past him and went to find a mirror. There was a red bruise round my neck where Jones had gripped it. I sighed. It would probably bruise. Typical.

***

"What makes you think you're worthy to crew the _Black Pearl_?" Gibbs asked the first sailor.

"Truth be told, I've never sailed a day in me life, thought I'd best get out and see the world while I'm still young," said the old man at the head of the queue.

"You'll do," said Gibbs as if he had a choice. "Make your mark. Next?"

Next in the queue didn't look happy to be here. His speech was slurred, "My wife ran off with my dog and I'm drunk for a month and I don't give an ass rat's if I live or die."

"Perfect," said Gibbs brightly. "Next?"

"Me got one arm and a bum leg," said the next one and the previous finished signing.

"It's the crow's nest for you," Gibbs replied. The man nodded. "Next?"

I lent back in my chair, listening in on Gibbs interviewing the unfortunate ninety-nine souls that we had come to Tortuga to find. I tried to tune out the noise of the tavern and Jack's relentless muttering of, 'I know what I want' and shaking his compass around which got louder as Gibbs questioned the last man.

I turned to Jack, "Will you stop playing with that thing?"

He jumped and snapped it shut, hiding the face of his compass. "No," he said, frowning. "How are we going?" he asked Gibbs.

"Including those four… that gives us… four," said Gibbs. The lack of number worried me. Gibbs looked up as someone else approached the table. Jack continued his relentless compass shaking. I turned to him and started to say something, but the voice of the next applicant stopped me and made me look around so fast my neck clicked.

"My story?" said the familiar tones. "It's exactly the same as your story, only one chapter behind."

It was James.


	10. The Compass

**callieandjack:Yup, she was incredibly lucky!**

**SaveroftheSun: He'll be in the next one a bit more.**

**nineteennitytwo: Hope you enjoy this chap.**

**Fairy Skull: Holy Cow cakes indeed!**

**Nelle07: It makes me very happy that you love it.**

**Valor: Gr-gr-gr-great po-po-po-poetry! We sh-sh-shall have to p-p-p-put our thinking cap-p-p-p-p-s on and decide how to contact J-j-j-j-jack. **

**Klutzygal: Snap?  
**

* * *

I froze. Could it really be him? Yes, it was. He was drunk and dishevelled, but it was unmistakably my brother. His once pristine clothes were stained beyond recognition. His powdered wig was in disarray and his face unshaven. But it was him. I had never been so sure of anything in my life. He had my father's green eyes and I would know his voice anywhere.

It hadn't registered with Gibbs yet. What would James think if he saw me in man's attire and in the company of pirates? _Then again_… I thought as he took another swig of rum _he is hardly in a position to lecture __me__ about involvement with pirates now!_

James continued, "I chased a man across the seven seas. The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, my life."

"Commodore?" Gibbs had finally clicked.

"No, not anymore, weren't you linstenin'?" said James angrily. "I nearly had you all off Tripoli; I would have if it hadn't been for the hurricane!"

Gibbs looked shocked, "Lord, you didn't try to sail through it?!"

"Sir, do I make your crew or not? You haven't said where you're going… anywhere nice?" James tipped the table Gibbs was sitting at over and Gibbs was knocked to the floor. James turned away and pointed his gun at Jack, who was now hiding behind a pillar at the other end of the room. "So, am I _worthy_ to sail under Captain Jack Sparrow… or should I just kill you now."

I found myself on my feet. Jack looked warily at James. He tested my brother's aim by moving from one side of the pillar to another. After judging that James was sober enough to shoot him, he said, "You're hired."

"Sorry," said James flatly, "old habits and all that…"

He cocked the gun. "No!" I screamed running forwards. He looked at me and it was his turn to freeze. There was a bang as the gun went off, but the new members of Jack's crew had managed to direct his aim and the bullet hit the ceiling.

The bang of the gun seemed to signal to everyone in Tortuga to go mad. All hell broke loose and everyone started trying to kill each other. Jack grabbed my arm, "Time to go, love."

"But what about James…" I protested.

"Erm… we'll come back for him…" Jack replied. As we left the pub Jack began took someone's hat off their head and tried it on. We reached the top of the stairs and Jack swapped his knew hat with on that a man at the very top was wearing.

"Thanks mate," Jack smiled and gave the drunk a friendly nudge. He fell off and down into the fighting rabble below. As we got to the door Jack stopped two men who were about to throw another one over the rail. He put the hat on the man and allowed them to carry on.

***

We had just reached the _Pearl _when someone shouted Jack's name. Jack glanced at them.

"Come to join me crew lad? Welcome aboard," he said, not giving them a second. I did though because I knew who it was immediately. I grinned at them. They grinned back.

"I've come to find the man I love," they replied. Jack stopped looking worried and scared.

"I'm deeply flattered son, but my first and only love is… erm…the sea," he said.

"Meaning William Turner, Captain Sparrow," said Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth!" Jack glanced at her before telling Gibbs to hide the rum. I ran to hug Elizabeth. She wasn't in the best of moods.

"I know Will came with Isabel to find you, where is he?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"Darlin', I am truly sorry to have to tell you this, but through an unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that have nothing whatsoever to do with me, poor Will has been press ganged into Davy Jones's crew," Jack avoided my stern glare sensing that I would disapprove of lying to Elizabeth.

"Davy Jones?" Elizabeth repeated.

"Oh please!" James staggered up behind her. "The Captain of the _Flying Duchman_?"

James threw up. "You look bloody awful, mate, what are you doing here?" Jack asked him.

"You hired me, it's not my fault if your standards are lax," James sneered.

"You smell funny!" Jack retorted.

"Jack," Elizabeth brought him down to Earth again. "All I want is to find Will."

"I know…" Jack nodded and I saw a gleam appear in his eyes. "Are you certain? Is that what you want _most_?"

"Of course!"

"Because," Jack seemed undeterred, "I would have thought that you would want to find a way to save Will most."

"And you have a way of doing that?" she sounded disbelieving.

"Well, there is a chest…" Jack began.

"Oh, dear!" James snorted before throwing up again.

"A chest of unknown size and origin," Jack continued.

"What contains the still beating heart of Davy Jones," said Pintel as he and Ragetti walked past carrying a crate. Ragetti pretended to pull out his own heart.

"And whoever possesses this chest possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever he… or she wants, including saving brave William from a grim fate.," finished Jack.

"You don't actually believe him do you?" James asked.

"How do we find it?" Elizabeth ignored James. Jack pulled out his compass.

"With this. My compass, 'tis unique," he said proudly.

"'Unique' here having the meaning of broken?" James butted in. Jack looked annoyed.

"True enough, this compass doesn't point north," he admitted.

"Where does it point?" I asked. He looked at me.

"It points to the thing you want most in this whole world," he said.

"Jack, are you telling the truth?" Elizabeth asked.

"Every word, love," he replied placing the compass in her hands. "And the thing you want most in the world is to find the heart of Davy Jones, is it not?"

"To save Will!"

"By finding the chest of Davy Jones," Jack nodded, making sure that that was what she was thinking about. He flipped the lid of the compass up and sprang away from it. I drew closer to Elizabeth to watch the needle spin. It came to a stop. Jack looked at it and smiled, "Mr. Gibbs! We have out heading!"

"Finally!" Gibbs sighed happily and started shouting orders to the crew. Jack, Elizabeth and I began to make our way up the gangplank to the _Pearl_. It was then that a sudden thought struck me.

"Jack, why didn't the compass point to the chest when you held it?" I asked.

"Yes, Jack, why not?" Elizabeth smirked at him, an eyebrow raised as if she knew something we didn't. Jack looked more than a little shifty. Elizabeth handed him the compass and stepped back. Still smirking, she turned our back on us and walked away across the deck of the _Pearl_. Jack stared at the compass.

"So, why didn't it?" I pressed after it seemed he wasn't going to answer.

There was a lengthy pause, "Because it's not what I want most."

My eyebrows raised in surprise, "Really? What do you want most? The key?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm between things," he said. Now we were getting somewhere.

"What things?" I asked. "Is the chest one of them?"

"Yes."

"What else then?"

"I don't know," he was starting to look a little stressed, but I wasn't about to drop the subject. What was he hiding from me? I thought he said he trusted me!

"You can't 'not know'! You have to have _some _idea of what you want!" I protested. He stayed quiet and I thought I may have cracked him. "Open it then," I urged. "Lets see."

"No."

"Why not?"

"There's no point! Nothing will happen!" he tried to stuff the compass in his pocket.

"_Something_ has to happen," I said.

"All that'll happen is that the needle will keep spinning."

"Lets see," I said. He looked at me for a long, long time. I stared straight back. I must be the person he hated most at that moment in time. He pulled out the compass, sighing.

"I can promise you, love, that the needle won't stop," he said.

"Well I want to see," I said. He flipped the lid of the compass open. I moved closer and watched the needle spin. It spun a lot faster and for a lot longer that it had for Elizabeth. It was quite relaxing to watch. I rested my head on Jack's shoulder and watched it go round.

The needle began to slow.

Jack snapped it shut.

"What are you doing? I think it was slowing down!" I protested.

"No, it wasn't!" he put the compass back in his pocket. He turned away from me, "If you'll excuse me, I have to go and be a Captain now"

He walked off. I sighed and went to find Elizabeth. She was always good at deciphering other people's behavior. She grinned at me when she saw me approach.

"Well?" she asked, just as nosy as I.

"He wouldn't tell me…" I grumbled.

"I wonder why!" she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"What do you mean? Why did you say it like that?" I frowned at her.

"Isn't is obvious?" she rolled her eyes at me.

"If it was obvious, I wouldn't be asking." I hated it when she knew things I didn't. She was always so patronizing.

"You're so naive!" she sighed and then looked my straight in the eye. "He's in love."


	11. Letters of Marque

**nineteennitytwo: I know! It took long enough!**

**bmdrose: Thanks! It makes me happy that you like Jack&Izzy and took the time to review.**

**callieandjack: Elizabeth's such a huge help with stuff like stating the obvious and so on!  
**

**Fairy Skull: Yeah, I am! It should be v. good! **

**keiraliz: WELCOME BACK!!!! That all sounds soo AMAZING! I am sooo jealous!!!!!!!!**

**Nelle07: You'll have to see, won't you? HAHAHA! Love being evil!**

**klutzygall2: Well, pirates IS rather addictive, so they're half right!**

**Valor: YAY!!! T-t-t-t-tt-ort-t-t-tuga here we come!**

* * *

"In love?" I repeated. It felt like an age had past since anyone had said anything. Elizabeth was just staring at me. _Say something Isabel,_ I told myself. "That's… How do you…? Who…? When…? Could it be…? I mean, he doesn't seem like he ever would…"

What on earth was I burbling on about? Why couldn't I finish a sentence? Elizabeth was grinning at me.

"Is everything alright, Izzy?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. Finally, a complete sentence… even if it was a one-word one. Lets try another one, "That's wonderful!"

Two words, I was getting better.

"Do you really think so?" Elizabeth's smile grew wider.

"Of course, I mean, it's a bit of a shock! Who do you think it is? There are no women aboard the _Pearl_, so I suppose she must be from Tortuga or some other port… or maybe it's not a woman at all…"

Elizabeth looked like she was about to slap me. "It _**is**_a woman and there _**are**_ women on the _Pearl_, Isabel!"

"Who?" I asked. She stared at me. Then it hit me. "Anna-Maria!"

"**NO!**" she sounded like was deciding whether to laugh or cry.

"Well then who?!?" I sighed. She was really beginning to get annoying now. She had that stupid little grin back on her face. I often wondered why she was my best friend. Really, what was the point in having a best friend if all they did was wind you up?

"I really don't think _I_ should be the one to tell you," she said. The smug tone of her voice made me snap.

"Fine then, don't tell me! I can figure it out for myself, if he is in love with anyone at all, which he may not be! It's just you guessing! What proof do you have?"

The smile was gone from her face. She glanced around the deck. "It makes sense," she said quietly. "The Compass doesn't point to the chest because he's in love; therefore the chest is not what he wants most."

"But he showed me the compass and it just kept spinning," I said.

"Well maybe he doesn't think he can have the one that he wants,"

"'Loathed to claim it for his own,'" I murmured, quoting Tia's words about Jack's compass. I looked around for Jack and sighed. "What woman couldn't he have?" Elizabeth's smile at my words made me flush involuntary.

"What do you mean by that, Izzy?"

My insides squirmed with embarrassment. It had sounded different than I had intended it to and I didn't want her to get the wrong idea. "I just meant that he's… nice and… he's not… unattractive… and he's confident, I've seen him around women and he's not shy, he wouldn't be afraid to tell her how he felt."

I'd managed to clamber out of the hole I'd almost dug myself into. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "There's a difference between hitting on a prostitute and being in love," she said.

"Unless he's in love with a prostitute," I pointed out. This made Elizabeth laugh.

"Isabel!" someone shouted. I sighed and narrowed my eyes. Did men not understand how important it was for women to gossip? I turned around. It was James, typical. He looked more than a little cross. What reason did he have to be cross with me? I had done nothing wrong!

"Hello James," I said glumly. He smelt like he hadn't washed since he left Port Royale a few months ago. He probably hadn't.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped.

_Nice to see you too, James,_ I thought, but I didn't think he'd be best pleased if I said that out loud.

"James-" I didn't even have a chance to take a different approach.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated again.

"I'm just going to…" Elizabeth slipped past us and managed to escape.

"You should be in Port Royale," James was looking at me with the same look he'd given me when I was four and had drawn on the wall with the quill he'd left lying around. This time it didn't make me feel bad.

"If I had stayed in Port Royale I'd be dead by now," I said. "I would have been hung for helping Jack. Lord Beckett came to arrest us and you."

"Arrest you?" James turned pale.

"Yes. That's why I came here. To escape."

"You shouldn't have had to do that," he said and I could see a look of shame and self-doubt in his eyes. I knew instinctively that he was blaming himself. "I will clear our names, Isabel. I promise I will, you won't have to live like a pirate anymore, I swear. I knew I shouldn't have let Sparrow go!"

He walked away, muttering darkly to himself about stupid mistakes and revenge. I sighed. None of this was James's fault; I would have to make him see that.

I looked around the _Pearl_, at her deck and sails. I looked at her crew who were hard at work but enjoying what they were doing. Lastly, I looked to her slightly mad and possibly recently in love Captain who had just finished falling over. If this was the life of a pirate, I loved it.

***

The following day Elizabeth produced the Letters of Marque and showed them to Jack and Gibbs. I frowned at them, "How did you get those from Beckett?"

"Beckett?" Gibbs repeated. He and Jack exchanged a look.

"Yes, they're signed Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company," Elizabeth pointed to the Letters.

"Will was working for Beckett and he never said a word," Gibbs fumed. "Beckett wants the compass… only one reason for that."

Another dark look past between Jack and Gibbs. "Of course," said Jack. "He wants the chest."

"Yes, he did say something about a chest." Elizabeth got a withering look from both men for confirming what they already knew.

"If the Company controls the chest, they control the seas," said Gibbs ominously.

"A truly discomforting notion," Jack agreed.

"And bad, bad for every mother's son who calls himself pirate," Gibbs muttered. He glanced around the _Pearl_, "I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails."

"Might I inquire as to how you came about these?" Jack asked Elizabeth.

"Persuasion," she replied.

"Friendly?" he grinned.

"Decidedly not," she said curtly.

Jack waved the Letters around under our noses, "Will strikes a deal and upholds it with honour and here you are standing here with the prize. Full pardon, commission as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company," he turned away, stuffing the Letters into his top pocket, "as if I could be bought for such a low price!"

"Jack, the letters… give them back!" Elizabeth protested.

"No." Jack grinned, "Persuade me…"

"You do know Will taught me how to use a sword," she said in what she must have assumed would be a threatening manner.

Jack was unfazed, "Like I said, persuade me."

Elizabeth glowered at him and stalked off. I followed her because she looked like she was in the mood for a rant and they were always quite funny.

***

I didn't think about Jack being in love again until later that day. It only took one conversation to make me see the truth. And it wasn't even a conversation I was part of.

It was the middle of the day and I had found it to be a pleasant one so far, but Elizabeth was looking incredibly unhappy. She was sitting on the stairs of the _Pearl_ with a rum bottle in her hand. Before I had a chance to talk to her Jack sat down beside her. It was nice of him to try and cheer her up. He must have said the wrong thing because after a few seconds she walked away. He followed her, which was good of him. I realized that I'd look like an idiot if I just stood and watch them talk, so I stopped watching for a bit.

The next time I turned around and saw them I stopped breathing. He was about to kiss her. I was sure of it. It seemed to me like they stood like that for an age. It may have only been a few seconds; it may have been hours for all I knew, time had no meaning anymore. Then Elizabeth turned and walked away from him. My eyes stung as if I'd just been slapped. Jack's eyes met mine. I _think_ he tried to say something to me, but I can't be sure because I was gone.

Elizabeth.

He loved Elizabeth.

* * *

**Love you guys,**

**XX**


	12. The Isla Cruces

**keiraliz: Yeah and Izzy's just like "Crap! He's gone psycho again!"**

**callieandjack: Very messed up!**

**ValueMyHeart: Thank you! **

**Fairy Skull: I'm glad you liked it!**

**SaveroftheSun: I hope you didn't get concussion from that frying pan! **

**bmdrose: Glad you loved it! :D**

**klutzygall2: She should have gone to Specksavers!**

**Nelle07: Bad, but that's why we love him!**

**Valor: Gl-l-l-lad you ll-l-l-l-love it! Can you see J-J-J-J-J-Jack?**

* * *

I had never felt so lost in a place I knew well. Somehow I found myself in the crew's cabin. I sat down on a bunk. Something about what I had just witnessed didn't seem right. It was wrong, all of it.

Will.

That's what was wrong. Will. What about him? There was no way that Elizabeth would choose Jack over Will. She wouldn't throw away the relationship that they had worked so hard to make happen. They were meant to be together, I knew it.

So that just left Jack's heart to be broken. This was something I never wanted to see happen. Not to him. I had already seen it happen to James and I didn't want to see Jack go through that too.

But there was something else that was bothering me about all this. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Something deep down inside me was hurting and I didn't know why. Shock. That must be it. The shock of the whole thing had got to me. I didn't know how to take it in and I didn't know how to process it. I just couldn't get used to the idea. It was such a weird one. Not matter how long I sat there I couldn't seem to get my head round the idea.

A loud rustling distracted me for a moment. Then I heard a scratching nose from the shadows. What was it? I leaned forward, trying to find the courage to go and see what was in that dark corner. A darker shape moved there. Then it barked and I relaxed. It was just the dog.

"I'd forgotten you were here," I muttered to him. He barked again and came padding into the light with an apple in his mouth. An apple? I didn't know dogs liked apples. He rested his head on my lap and looked at my with his big, brown eyes. "What?" I asked him. "What do you want?"

A shrill whistle cut through the silence. Ragetti came running in. He saw the dog and smiled, "There you are." Then he saw me. The smile faltered slightly, "We were playing fetch, only we didn't have no ball or nothing."

"Hence the apple," I said.

"Aye," Ragetti nodded. "Didn't think no-one would noticed. Nobody eats the apples since Barossa aint here no more."

"You're right, they probably won't."

Ragetti and the dog ran off. I was once again on my own, but as usual in this place it wasn't for long. Jack ran in and stopped when he saw me. I got a horrible sick, achy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Maybe I was coming down with something. I knew he knew I knew, if that makes sense and I didn't know how to act like everything was normal anymore.

"Isabel," he said. "Erm… Elizabeth and I were just…"

He trailed off. Even he couldn't think of a ridiculously bad excuse for it.

"It's alright, Jack, you don't have to explain it," I told him. He frowned.

"Do I not?"

"No," I said. "I understand."

A look of relief passed across his face and he gave a happy little sigh. "Good, I was worried you wouldn't."

I stood up. I would have to tell him the truth about Elizabeth. It would hurt him, but it had to be done. "Jack," I began softly, not quite sure how to put it.

"Yes, love?" He was still looking decidedly cheerful.

"I don't want to be the one who has to tell you this, but I don't think Elizabeth feels the same," I said. He was frowning again. This was something I really didn't want to do. "I know that you love her, but so does Will and… well, she loves him back. They're engaged, Jack and there's nothing you can do to change that."

Jack stared at me, his mouth slightly open. "What?" he managed to say.

"I'm sorry," I said, though I didn't know why I was apologizing, it was Elizabeth who was hurting him, not me.

"Captain," Marty walked in, stopping Jack from saying whatever it was he was about to say. "We're here."

"Good," Jack said a little more harshly than was necessary. He turned back to me, "We're not finished this conversation, love."

I nodded, though I didn't know what else there was left to say.

***

It might have been more sensible to have had more than one longboat full of crew, but we weren't expecting any trouble, so the thought never really occurred to us. As it happened it was just Jack, James, Pintel, Ragetti, Elizabeth and I who went ashore. Ragetti had felt it necessary to bring the dog along too. I didn't say anything to Elizabeth. I thought that neither she nor Jack would want the entire crew to know.

"You're pulling to fast!" Pintel complained to Ragetti. They were the ones rowing us to shore.

"You're pulling too slow!" replied Ragetti. "We don't want the Kracken to catch us."

I saw Jack give an involuntary shudder at the mention of the Kracken. He pulled his jar of dirt closer towards him.

"I'm saving me strength for when it comes," said Pintel. He paused, "Don't think it's pronounced Kracken anyway. I always heard it Krayken."

"What, with a long 'a'? Krocken is how it is in the original Scandinavian and Kraken's closer to that," Ragetti disagreed.

I glanced at Jack again. He was clutching the jar so tightly his knuckles were white. "Stop it!" I told them fiercely. "Shut up the pair of you!"

They stared at me, slightly taken a back, but their mouths remained closed. There was no further mention of the Kraken or Krayken, whichever way you chose to pronounce it. There was just silence until we reached the shore.

"The Isla de Cruces," Jack announced, hopping out of the boat. He threw orders to Pintel and Ragetti without even looking at them, "Mind the boat, watch the tide and don't touch my dirt."

He strode away with a shovel without bothering to wait for the rest of us to catch up. James glowered after him. "Why does he have that jar of dirt?" he asked.

"Someone gave it to him, to keep him safe from Davy Jones… or at least to make him _feel _like he's safe," I replied.

James sniggered, "What's he going to do? Throw dirt in Jones's eye?"

He laughed at his own comment for a while. I ignored it. James hated Jack and there wasn't much I could do about it. We followed Jack, but he was always about ten paces a head of us. We left a long trail of foot prints in the golden sand right across the island until we were almost on the other side. Jack stood on a small sand dune and waited for us to catch up. Elizabeth was staring at the compass. She started to slow down. She walked around for a bit and glanced up a few times before she sat down and scowled.

"It doesn't work. The compass, it doesn't work," she grumbled. "And it certainly doesn't show you what you want most."

Jack walked over to her and looked at the compass she'd left lying open on the sand. "Yes it does. You're sitting on it," he told her.

"What?" Elizabeth looked up.

"Move," Jack waved his hands at her to shoo her away. She stood up. Jack handed the shovel to James. James gave Jack a look of pure hatred before he began to dig. We sat down in the sweltering heat and waited.

What little breeze there was did nothing to cool us down. I lay back and closed my eyes against the glare of the sun. I heard the sound of the sand being moved and someone breathing nearby. Then there was a dull thud and I sat bolt upright.

We'd found something.


	13. The Heart

**nineteennintytwo: I wonder how Jones would react to that?**

**callieandjack: No, she really doesn't! **

**Valor: If the P-p-p-p-pearl's in the har-b-b-b-bour, then Jack's in the pub-b-b-b-b!**

**Fairy Skull: OMG! Not Walt Disney!**

**bmdrose: Ah, but will they ever have it?**

**Nelle07: :D Glad you liked it!**

**keiraliz: Oh, yes the other events... :(  
**

* * *

We crowded round the hole James had dug and peered down into it. James and Jack brushed the sand coating the object away to reveal that it was a chest made of dark wood. We may have found the heart of Davy Jones. They lifted it out. It didn't look like it was. It was quite plain and Jack managed to break the lock with the shovel. We didn't need Jones's key after all. Inside there were just lots of pieces of paper and small trinkets. Jack brushed them away impatiently. Underneath there was a smaller chest concealed in the trinkets.

This one had ornate carvings etched into the dark wood. It had an odd and very specific looking key-hole. We leaned forward and pressed our ears to the lid of the chest. A soft thump-thump, thump-thump could be heard from inside. We sat back up.

"You actually _were_ telling the truth!" said an astounded James.

"I do that quite a lot and yet people are still surprised," Jack replied. He smiled at me and there was a second of blissful peace.

"With good reason!" a voice shattered it.

"Will!" Elizabeth sprang to her feet. She'd know his voice anywhere. The rest of us stood up as she ran towards him. Will was soaked and bedraggled, but he wasn't hurt and that's the main thing. We looked pointedly away as they kissed. I sighed, that would kill Jack to watch.

They broke apart. Will kept his arm around Elizabeth's waist and turned to face us.

Jack eyed him suspiciously, "How do you get here?"

"Sea-turtles, mate. A pair of them strapped to my feet," Will replied in what can only be described as a shockingly bad impression of Jack.

"Not so easy, is it?" Jack smiled.

"But I do owe you thanks, Jack," said Will.

"You do?" Jack looked suitably confused.

"After you tricked me onto that ship to square your debt with Jones…"

"What?" Elizabeth glared at Jack.

"What?" asked Jack innocently.

"… I was reunited with my father," Will finished.

"You're welcome then," Jack only managed to look slightly guilty. Naturally, Elizabeth was outraged.

"Everything you said to me, every word was a lie!"

"Pretty much, time and tide, love," Jack nodded, not even offering her an apology. He looked to where Will was kneeling by the chest with a key in one hand and a knife in the other. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to kill Jones," Will replied. Jack drew his sword and pointed it at Will.

"I can't let you do that William. `Cause if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh? Now, if you please; the key."

Will didn't hand Jack the key, instead he grabbed Elizabeth's sword and pointed it at Jack. "I keep the promises I make, Jack," he said determined not to lose this. "I intend to free my father and I hope you're here to see it."

"I can't let you do that either, so sorry." I turned, surprised to see that James was pointing his sword at Will too. What was he doing fighting on Jack's side?

"I knew you'd warm up to me," said Jack, pleased by this odd turn of events. Then James turned his sword on Jack.

"Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest. I deliver it, I get my life back," James told him. I should have guessed that was coming.

"Ah, the dark side of ambition," said Jack.

"I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption," James countered. Then all three of them engaged in a fight. You couldn't really call it a duel because there was three of them. So what was it called then? I was going to ask Elizabeth, but she was looking scarily cross about the whole situation, so I decided not to risk it.

"Will!" she called after him as the fight began to move up the beach.

"Guard the chest," he called back to her.

This did not improve her mood. "No!" she followed the three men up the beach. I sighed and went after her. She was still yelling at them, "This is barbaric! This is no way for grown men to settle their affairs! Oh, fine! Let's just pull out our swords and start banging away at each other and that'll solve **everything!!!** I've had it with wobbly-legged, rum-soaked **PIRATES!!!!**"

"Calm down, Elizabeth!" I said, becoming alarmed when she began throwing rocks at them. "I don't think they're going to pay you much attention."

"Don't just stand there!" she rounded on me as the fight moved further off into the distance. "**Help!**"

I started aimlessly throwing rocks in the general direction of the men, but they were now to far away to even by hit by Elizabeth's well aimed throws. "This is madness!" she started shrieking again.

"They're not going to listen," I tried to tell her.

She ignored me. "Oh! Oh! The heat!" she shouted loudly and keeled over onto the sand. I stared at her.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing?"

She opened on eye. Seeing that not one of the fighting men had rushed to her aid after she had 'fainted' she sat back up and resorted to glowering at them. I sat down next to her and began restlessly drawing in the sand with my finger.

"I know Jack loves you," I blurted out. Elizabeth stared at me. It was the only thing I'd said that had so far drawn her attention away from the fight.

"What? What are you talking about? You have got to be the stupidest person I know!" she said, which I thought was a bit rude of her. My attention was drawn to some footsteps and badly concealed giggles. Pintel and Ragetti were running off with the chest.

"Elizabeth! The chest!" I shouted, running after them. I glanced back at her. She looked torn between joining me and staying to stop that blasted fight. Realizing that the fight was a lost cause she ran to join me.

We ran further and further inland to where the palm trees grew thickly in many shades of green. We ran for quite a long time with thorns and nettles scrapping at our legs as we crashed through them. Elizabeth signalled to me to run round Pintel and Ragetti and head them off. We sped up. They glanced behind them to see where we were, only to find that when they looked back round we were blocking their way. I reached for my sword and pulled it out. They did the same. I saw their smiles widen as they glanced at Elizabeth. I looked to see what they were grinning at. She didn't have a sword. Will had taken hers. She looked at me in panic.

We were momentarily spared from having to act by the sound of something much larger than ourselves thundering along nearby. We all looked. A large, wooden wheel rolled towards us at a great speed. There were two people inside and it looked like they were fighting. I couldn't make out who they were, but presumed that it was one of our lot. Things like being trapped fighting in a giant wooden wheel can really only happen to people who know Jack. Funnily enough, the next thing we saw was Jack running after them. No surprises there then. So, the other two must be Will and James. I watched them spin away. If I was them, I would have been sick by now.

The wheel rolled out of sight and as Pintel and Ragetti began to advance towards an unarmed Elizabeth we turned our attention to more pressing matters. Elizabeth backed away from them, but we didn't have a chance to move more than a few feet before we were distracted once again. This time it was Davy Jones's crew who came charging towards us from behind Pintel and Ragetti. They took one look at Jones's fearsome crew and ran away from them, pushing past Elizabeth and I. Elizabeth found that she was holding both of their swords. She looked at me and then we both ran. Pintel and Ragetti were still holding the chest between them, but as they both tried to run on different sides of the same tree it was knocked from their hands. We'd run past before we noticed. Jones's crew didn't stop chasing us to pick it up, so we left it lying.

It soon became apparent that we were going to have to fight our way out of this. If we could lead them towards the beach then we may be able to make an escape with the longboat. As there were only three swords and four of us we had to share them as evenly as possible. It wasn't what you'd call a scientific system by any stretch of the imagination. It consisted of the swordless person in the most mortal peril screaming for a sword at the top of his or her lungs and then being thrown one by someone who had a sword, but wasn't as close to death as the other person. Once the sword had been used it was then thrown to the next person.

Our main objective was to get to the beach as quickly as possible because if we fought them there we stood a chance. It was all a mad haze and blur of people and weapons. Jones's crew couldn't be stopped. Not matter what we did or how badly we wounded them, they couldn't die, so were on their feet again pretty soon. They reminded me of Barbossa's crew before the curse was lifted last year.

Finally! The beach! I had never been so happy to see sand in my life. I would never, ever complain about sand again. Not even when it got stuck between my toes and refused to come out. Now we were at the beach, we had to find a way to hold them off long enough for Jack, Will and James to get back. Jack arrived first.

"You got the chest!" I called to him. He gave me a manic grin of happiness as he ran past. I saw him put the chest into the boat and then I had to get back to fighting. The next thing I was aware of was the wheel rolling towards us. Luckily for us it rolled over Jones's crew and flattened most of them. We got a small break as the wheel wobbled to a stop. Two figures staggered out. I kept fighting, but the situation was getting desperate.

I tripped over Will's feet. He was lying unconscious in the longboat. If Will was here, it must mean James was too. I looked around. James was frowning at me.

"What are you doing with a sword?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. Stupid question.

"Defending myself," I replied as a man with a puffer fish for a head took a swing at me. I blocked it, stabbed him and turned back to where Elizabeth had noticed Will's unconscious body.

"Will!" she gasped, running over.

"Leave him lay," Jack instructed, "unless you're planning on using him to hit something with."

"We're not getting out of this," said Elizabeth desperately.

"Not with the chest," James agreed, lifting it out of the boat. I didn't understand. What was he doing? "In the boat," he told me.

"You're mad," Elizabeth was staring at him.

"Don't wait for me," James replied. Then I understood.

"James, no! What are you doing?" I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He turned and looked at me. There was a serious light in his green eyes. My voice cracked, "You can't…"

There was a long silence as he looked at me. "You look so much like mum," he whispered. The tears collecting in my eyes blurred and distorted his features. He looked to Jack, "Take care of her."

Then he ran up the beach, still clutching the chest. Jones's crew ran after him. Thinking they were playing a game, the dog that Ragetti had been adamant on bringing chased after them with a bark.

I wasn't going to let James do this. I needed him, he was my brother. The only member of family I had left. I shouted for him to come back, but he didn't. I tried to run after him but couldn't. Jack's arms were round his waist, holding me back. He pulled me into the longboat and as I struggled and sobbed he held me tight against his chest even when I tried to push him away.

I heard Jack talking softly to me, telling me everything was going to be alright, but how could it be? Not with James gone. Who would look out for me now? Who would I talk to now my brother was gone? Defeated, I stopped struggling away from Jack and pulled myself closer to him instead. He hugged me tight and stroked my hair, trying to comfort me and calm me down, but I wasn't sure he could. How could anyone?

James was gone.


	14. Concealed in a Jar of Dirt

**Nelle07: Yes, but blood is thicker than... er, schemerism.**

**SaveroftheSun: I know, I do love that bit!**

**callieandjack: Yeah, she's not having the best of days. **

**nineteennitytwo: Yeah, but for how much longer?**

**Fairy Skull: Miss James already!**

**keiraliz:She belongs with Will and Sparrabeth doesn't sound righ coz it's a mix of first nd last names. Not like Willabeth! I love Lizzy rants!And ye, I still luv u! I love mad things!  
**

**bmdrose: It is kinda hard to tell, but I'm sure they are green!**

**Valor: Bb-b-b-best not dis-t-t-turb him-m-m if he's with pleasurable comp-p-p-p-any! Wait! There he i-s-s-s-s-s-s! **

**Klutzygal12: y feeling egshmactly!**

* * *

I was still in a daze when we arrived back at the _Pearl_. It didn't matter that we were off the island because James wasn't with us. The boat stopped, but I didn't want to get out. I wanted to stay where I was. I felt safer there than I would if I got out. Jack held me at arms length as everyone else climbed out. He looked into my eyes and I knew that even though he and James had never been on the same side, Jack was one hundred percent on mine.

"Isabel, love, you have to hope for him. He may get out of this," he said softy. "He's intelligent… enough. He might have a plan, darlin'."

I nodded. Jack wiped my eyes with his sleeve and I stopped crying. I would hope and pray that James would get out of this. He would, he was clever. I couldn't give up on him; I wouldn't give up on him. We could find him again. I _would _find him again. I climbed onto the _Pearl_ a head of Jack. We both went up to the top deck where Gibbs greeted us.

"What happened to the Commodore?" he asked. Jack shot me a concerned look and put a comforting arm around my waist, but I managed to hold back the wave of fresh tears that threatened to engulf me.

"Fell behind," Jack replied.

"My prayers be with him," said Gibbs, which was nice of him. "Best not wallow in our grief. The bright side is that you're back and made it off free and clear."

As if they had heard him a ship rose up out if the waves and bobbed alongside the _Pearl_. It was the _Flying Duchman_. Jones was still on our case.

"I'll handle this," said Jack. He strode forward surprisingly confidently. He faced Jones and held out his jar of dirt. What was he playing at? "Hey fish face!" he shouted. "Lose something? Congealy…" He stopped talking as he tumbled down the stairs. He hadn't been looking where he was going. I peered over the side of the rail onto the bottom deck to see if he was alright. He sat up, holding the jar above his head. "Got it!" he said cheerfully, springing to his feet. "Come to negotiate, eh? You slimy git! Look what I got! I got a jar of dirt! I got a jar of dirt and guess what's inside it?"

I didn't think that Jack was going about this the right way. Did he even understand what he was doing, because nobody else did? Not even Jones. He looked a bit cross. "Enough!" he snarled.

The call of "Hard to starboard!" rang out across the _Pearl_ as those aboard the _Duchman _began to prepare to fight. Could the _Duchman_ take the _Pearl_? I hated to say it, but it probably could. I suppose that's why we opted to run away form a fight against her. The _Duchman _began to fire, but we were getting a head. The crew were working like mad to get as much speed as possible and it was working. Soon we were so far a head of the _Duchman _that her cannons were just splashing into the sea with no effect on us what so ever.

I approached Jack. There was one thing that was bugging me, even through the numbness and confusion of losing James. "Jack," I called to get his attention. He grinned at me, his eyes shining with excitement.

"I think she's falling behind, love."

"So I can see," I replied, but that wasn't what I was here to discuss. "What make you think that we're going to win? What's in that jar?"

He lifted up the jar, "What, this jar? Dirt."

"Why would you rub it in Jones's face that you have a jar of dirt? What else is in there," I pressed. He smiled at me like a cat that'd got the cream. I think I knew the answer before it came out of his mouth, but I couldn't bear it to be true.

"Jones's heart."

His smiled faltered when I didn't return it. My hands were actually, physically shaking. I had to clench my fists. "You killed my brother."

"What?" Jack looked completely lost.

"You have the heart? The chest James took to draw them off was **empty**?! He died to save us while all the time you had that bloody heart?"

"But, Isabel, we can… we can live…" he stammered, completely thrown by my reaction.

"But James didn't!! **You** could have gone in his place! **You** had the heart! It's **you **Jones is after! James was innocent and you let him sacrifice himself, knowing all the time that you had that heart!" My voice was getting higher with my rising anger.

"Isabel…" for once in his life, Jack looked lost for words. He reached out to put an arm around me. I pulled back.

"I hate you," I said and once I'd said it I couldn't seem to stop. "I hate you! I hate you!! I **hate** you!!"

I turned away from him, too angry to face him anymore. He grabbed my arm, tried to pull me back. I punched him. My hands were already clenched into fists, so it didn't take much effort. It wasn't the feeble slap of a girl, but a proper punch that at the time I felt quite proud of. I put all my anger into that one blow. It hit him square in the jaw and sent him reeling backwards with an "Ooof."

I didn't turn back to see if he was alright because I didn't really care. I ran back down onto the lower deck to check on our progress against the _Duchman_. She seemed to have given up. As my hands touched the rail the whole ship moved and jolted. There was a smash from behind me. Just like that, the _Pearl _stopped moving.

"Must have hit a reef," someone suggested, leaning over the edge.

"No, it's not a reef!" the fear was apparent in Will's voice. He pulled Elizabeth away from the edge. "Get away from the edge!"

I sprang away from the side of the ship, as did the other crew members. We all looked to Will. "What is it?" Elizabeth asked him. His answer send a shudder of fear coursing through me and a terrible silence fell on the _Pearl_.

"The Kraken."

It had found us. Jack's selfishness had doomed us all.


	15. The Kraken

**Hey everyone! Before all the sad and serious stuff starts (sob sob) I have a question: Do you want me to go beyond AWE or leave it there? Coz I do have ideas for further stories. I just wanted to get that out of the way before the serious stuff.  
**

**nineteennitytwo: The latter, I'm afraid.**

**bmdrose: Clearly, you are a nicer person than she is.**

**callieandjack: I know! First her brother, then Jack! In the same day! What a crap day by anyone's standards.**

**Fairy Skull: Yeah, that is what happens, but Izzy doesn't know that.**

**keiraliz: And i shall tell you, I tell you now.**

**SaveroftheSun: Like Jaws music! Oooh, gives me the creeps!**

**Valor: Well, he may cat--tt--t-tt-tch the st-t-t-t-t-tut-t-t-t-er! It is cont-t-t-tagious!**

**klutzygal12: Same! I'm in floods of tears by the end. My friends hate watching it with me coz I'm sobbing for the rest of the day!**

* * *

After the moment of silence that felt longer than it was the realisation that we were all in danger hit home. Everyone sprang into action. "To arms!" Will shouted, handling the situation better than the _Pearl_'s supposed Captain. He was doing nothing to save his crew.

"Load guns!" Gibbs yelled. "Defend the mast!"

Everyone looked to Will. He'd know it was the Kraken, he'd know how to get us out of this. "It'll attack to starboard, run out the cannons and hold for my signal!"

I wondered how Will knew this and where he'd seen it before, but I didn't ask. We wasted no time in following Will's instructions. Nobody aboard the _Pearl_ was ready to die just yet, not with out a fight. Everyone armed themselves, ready for whatever the Kraken threw at us. Men below deck loaded the cannons and waited for the beast. All of us above deck armed ourselves with bayonets and guns. We kept our guns trained on the sides of the _Pearl_ and we waited. I could hear the _Pearl _creaking around me as we waited with bated breath.

My heart plunged into my stomach as the tips of the Kraken's slimy green tentacles wriggled their way up the side of the _Pearl_. More came into view and I suddenly realized the size of the beast we were fighting. I remembered Gibbs's fearful description of it on the way to Tia's. It hadn't done it justice. The Kraken was far bigger and far more terrifying than any of us could ever have imagined.

"Easy boys," said Will. I was too scared to point out that Elizabeth and I weren't boys. We stepped back a bit from the rail as the Kraken's tentacles rose further into the air.

"Will…" Elizabeth whimpered.

"Steady… steady…" Will cautioned.

"Will…" there was a note of desperation in her voice.

"Hold… hold…" Will instructed. This was beyond ridiculous. We had to act fast or it would be too late.

"WILL!!" Elizabeth screamed as the tentacles rose almost as high as the mast.

"FIRE!!!" Will shouted. Everyone aboard the _Pearl_ shot at the Kraken. The tentacles were blasted back and they slipped back into the water below. There was a moment of celebration, but we all knew this wasn't over.

"It'll be back," said Will, confirming what we already knew. "We have to get off the ship."

All eyes turned at once to longboats, but they weren't there. The Kraken had smashed them on its way down. "There's no boats," Elizabeth spoke the horrible truth out loud. We were going to have to fight our way out of this.

"Pull all the grates! Get all the gunpowder onto the net in the cargo hold," Will ordered. He then turned to Elizabeth and handed her a gun, "Whatever you do, don't miss."

"As soon as you're clear," she promised, but her hands were shaking so much it made me nervous. As the gunpowder we being rolled into the cargo net Elizabeth and I ran about the ship grabbing what we could. After she handed a gun to Cotton I heard Elizabeth mutter, "Oh, you coward!"

"What?" I turned to her. She was looking out to sea.

"Not _all_ the boats are gone, Izzy," she said.

One lifeboat was bobbing on the waves far out at sea and sitting inside was the small, but unmistakable figure of Jack. "Well, what do you expect?" I said bleakly. I didn't feel anything. Not shock nor disappointment… nothing. Something crashed into the side of the _Pearl_ making her jolt and I turned my attention back to the task at hand. The Kraken was attacking us again. The barrel of gunpowder and, as we'd run out of gunpowder, rum was being hoisted into the air. Elizabeth took her position as two tentacles began snaking their way up into the air. The net was being hoisted alongside it. The Kraken's other tentacles smashed through the _Pearl_ grabbing anything and everything that they could.

"Isabel!" Elizabeth's voice was shaking as much as her hands. "I… I can't…"

Will was caught in the net, screaming for her to shoot anyway at the same time as trying to cut himself free. Of course she wasn't going to shoot with Will in the way. That would kill him, but if she didn't shoot then we'd all die. There was a scream from beside me. Elizabeth disappeared with a thud. The gun flew into the air. I grabbed it, willing Will to get out of the way. It was only in my hands for a few seconds before it flew back out again. I hit the deck. A screaming Elizabeth grabbed my ankle as she was dragged backwards by the Kraken. I tried to find something to grab onto that would save us both, but everything was ripped from my fingers. We were pulled backwards with unimaginable strength. Then suddenly, it stopped.

I looked around to see why it had stopped. There was a bloody, lifeless tentacle wrapped around Elizabeth's leg and a surprised Ragetti was holding up a blood stained axe. Elizabeth scrambled to her feet. "The gun!" she shouted, running from the room we had been dragged into. There was a huge, gaping hole where the Kraken's tentacles had smashed through the windows of the Captain's cabin. The cabin was full of blood and debris and corpses. I ran back out onto the deck where the situation didn't look anymore optimistic. Will was free, but where was Elizabeth? There wasn't much time left. The Kraken was going to rip the _Pearl _to pieces and us along with it.

Just then an explosion rocked the _Pearl_. We were thrown to the ground and the air was full of the smell of burning. I looked up through clouds of black smoke that was also filing my lungs and making me gag, to see burning, rotting chunks of the Kraken's flesh falling onto the deck around me. I got to my feet as the burning tentacles splashed back into the sea. I looked around at the damage. There were very few crewmen left.

"Did we kill it?" Marty asked, peering cautiously over the edge.

"No… we just made it angry. We're not out of this yet. Captain! Orders!" Gibbs shouted. I was about to tell him that his Captain had not only abandoned his ship, but also his crew when Jack came down onto the lower deck. I was almost happy to see him. Almost.

"Abandon ship," Jack ordered. "Into the longboat."

"But Jack!" Gibbs was shocked. "The _Pearl_…"

"She's only a ship, mate," Jack replied.

"He's right, we have to head for land," Elizabeth agreed.

Pintel looked out to sea, "That's a lot of open water."

"That's a lot of water," Ragetti gulped.

"We have to try! We can get away as it takes down the _Pearl_!" said Will, determined to escape the Kraken.

"Aye," Gibbs sighed heavily, "Abandon ship. Abandon ship or abandon hope."

People began to climb into the longboat. I turned to find Jack blocking my way. His eyes were intense. "If we don't get out of this, love, I want you to know..."

I pushed past him. I didn't care what he had to say to me. I climbed down into the longboat. Will climbed down after me. As I sat down he stopped on a rung of the ladder.

"Come on Will! Step to!" said Gibbs impatiently, trying to climb down. Will clambered shakily into the boat and Gibbs followed. Elizabeth was last to climb down.

"Where's Jack?" Will asked her.

"He elected to stay behind to give us a chance," she replied. I went numb with shock. What was she talking about? Jack had to come with us! Everyone else was just a shocked as I. When nobody responded Elizabeth got very agitated. "**Go!**" she shouted.

To my amazement and disgust Jack's crew responded.

We were going without him.


	16. Too Late

**SaveroftheSun: Yeah, I'm going to, but should I do some after that?**

**S.: Thank you and I might.**

**keiraliz: I know! But she will find out! Poor Will. #hands him a tissue#  
**

**callieandjack: Have a tissue! I hate this bit, it's too sad!**

**Nelle07: :( She tricked him. He's too selfish to stay of his own free will. And it would be stupid to coz they could get away.**

**Fairy Skull: I hate Liz in this part of the movie, usually I lobe her.**

**Valor: Keep t-t-t-talking t-t-t-to him! Pass it-t-t- on-n-n-n-n-n!**

**bmdrose: Tres sad! Ta, I might.**

**klutzygal12: My sentiments exactly. WAH!  
**

* * *

"What are you doing?" I asked, fighting to keep the tremor of fear from my voice. They stared at me with pale, drawn faces and blank, resigned eyes, but nobody spoke. Panic gripped my heart like an icy cold hand. I repeated my question, "What are you doing."

Still there was no reply. Ragetti even began slowly rowing away. It was so surreal. This couldn't be happening. I felt sick. It was like my worst nightmare was happening right before my eyes and there was nothing I could do to stop it. But I would stop it, I _had_ to. I stood up. The others watched my warily. If they weren't going to do anything about this then I was. I wasn't going to sit back and watch this happen.

"Jack!" I shouted reaching for the side of the _Pearl_. My fingertips brushed against the rough wood. Elizabeth grabbed my arm and pulled my sharply away. She tried to force me to sit down. What was she doing? As I tried to fight her off Will grabbed me too. I was getting really anxious now. If they'd just let me go, I could get Jack and both of us would be back before the Kraken had even moved. Why were they being so **stupid**?! I began to get more desperate as we got further away from the _Pearl_. I started screaming for Jack over and over again. He had to hear me, he _had_ to. I shouted for him to come back the rising desperation I felt made my voice crack. He didn't appear at the side of the _Pearl_,the deck remained empty. I wanted to see him. If he would just come then I could talk some sense into him. He didn't have to do this. It was stupid. We could all make it.

The gap between us and the _Pearl_ had widened considerably. I saw the green tentacles of the Kraken begin to grip onto the hull of the _Pearl._ My fight became more frantic. I may not be able to save him, but I wasn't going to let him die alone.

"Let me go!" I pleaded with Will and Elizabeth. I didn't have time to save Jack, but I still had time to swim to the_ Pearl_. "Please! Let me go to him!"

"But, Isabel, you'd be killed!" Elizabeth's grip on my arm tightened.

"I don't care! I'd rather die with him than live without him!" There was more truth in my words than any of them could ever know, but still they didn't let go. The harder I struggled, the harder they held on. I kept calling for Jack. Why couldn't he hear me? Why wouldn't he come? I needed him. I needed him more than I'd ever needed anyone in my life.

The Kraken had a grip on the _Pearl_ and we were getting further away with each treacherous stroke of Ragetti's oars. I wasn't going to give up on Jack. Even when I could see the Kraken's entire body was wrapped around the _Pearl_ I continued shouting and fighting for him. I chocked over a lump in my throat as the _Pearl_ and the Kraken began to sink beneath the waves.

I didn't want to watch this. I didn't want to see Jack and his ship sinking to the crushing oblivion, but I couldn't seem to tare my eyes away. None of it felt real, but the cold, hard truth of it all was that it was. This was really happening. The _Pearl _was sinking fast. There was no way Jack was still alive. As the _Pearl_ and the Kraken disappeared beneath the foaming waves all the fight left me. A horrible silence carried out across the water. I knew the others were still holding onto me, but I couldn't feel it. I couldn't feel anything. My whole body was numb.

I didn't even cry, not at first. I just stared at the empty patch of sea where the _Pearl_ had been sailing, along with her Captain. I had never thought that Jones might win, not even when Jack had showed me the Black spot on the palm of his hand. I hadn't been worried then. I always assumed the Jack would be alright. He'd get out of it. He usually did. The idea of losing Jack was unfathomable and completely impossible. Jack Sparrow wasn't supposed to die. Not now, not ever. And yet it had happened. I'd lost him. He was gone.

I really was going to be sick. I could feel myself shaking all over. I sank back down into my seat. I no longer had the strength to stand. Feelings started to return, but they didn't come slowly. They hit me all at once like a huge wave of pain. The empty space where my heart had once been was aching, but it had gone down with Jack. It had, after all, always belonged to him.

I loved him.

I closed my eyes against the sudden flood of tears, but when my eyes were shut Jack was all I could see. I was such an idiot! Why had it taken _this_ for me to realize that I was in love with Jack? Why had I been so stupid? All the time I spent with him all the stupid arguments and it had taken his death for me to realize. And now it was too late.

My tears were falling thick and fast now. I hugged my knees to my chest and hid my face. The others tried to comfort me, but I pushed them all away. I didn't want to talk to any of them or see them ever again. There was really only one person I wanted to see, but he was gone. Dead. I would never again look into his deep brown eyes that could hold my gaze with no effort from him. I would never again feel the warmth of his embrace or hear his voice, his laugh.

And the last thing I'd ever said to him was… a lie.


	17. Tia's

**keiraliz: Yeah it won't take that much... :S**

**nineteennintytwo: #the author hands the crying reviewer a tissue#**

**callieandjack: #hands you a tissue too#**

**bmdrose: It was depressing to write! :(**

**klutzygal12: Yup, she is! And she does have quite a temper, so you kinda feel bad for Lizzie!**

**SaveroftheSun: #hands you a tissue#**

**Valor: Good-d-d-d id-d-d-ea! Keep t-t-t-t-alking even if he t-r-ries t-t-to shoot-t-t you!  
**

* * *

I said nothing. They may have tried to talk to me, but I wasn't in the mood to listen. I didn't know how we'd ended up at Tia's and I didn't really care. My eyes were sore from crying. It was nowhere near half as bad as the pain and guilt I felt, but some of my sadness was starting to turn to anger. I stared at the floor. I couldn't bring myself to look around Tia's room because the last time I'd been here was with _him_. I couldn't bear to think about _him _or mention his name; the pain was getting to be too much to live with.

A shadow fell across me. I glanced up at Tia who was holding a tray of steaming mugs. She offered one to me and Elizabeth, who was sitting next to me. Elizabeth tried to refuse, but Tia was adamant she should have some. "Against the cold," she pressed. "And the sorrow."

Elizabeth took one and I felt the need to do likewise. I took a sip. I didn't know what it was. I couldn't taste anything. I couldn't smell anything. Across the other end of the room Will sighed, "So the _Pearl_'s gone, along with her Captain."

"Aye," muttered Gibbs. "And already the world seems a bit less bright without them."

"Then why didn't you do something to** stop it?!**" I found myself on my feet, angry words tumbling out of my mouth and hot tears spilling down my already tear-stained cheeks. But words and tears weren't enough. I needed to vent my anger in a more physical way. The tray was still hovering in my sight and without even thinking about it, I swung my arm through the air and sent the mugs crashing to the floor. I saw more than felt the burns from the boiling liquid. Everyone was staring at me, shocked. Some of them couldn't meet my gaze, but I glared at all them. All my anger and guilt was put into blaming them. I found that I was grabbing many of Tia's things and throwing them around the room. I was aiming for my friends and the crew. I'm ashamed to admit that I wanted to hurt them as much as they'd hurt me, as much as they'd hurt Jack.

"We had time!" I shouted. "We had **every** opportunity to go back for him! He could have survived, but you just _**let**_** him die**! You just sat there in that **bloody **_**stupid**_** boat** and _watched_ it happen! You watched him _die _and didn't do anything about it. _Not_ _one _person in this **whole **_**bloody**_** room lifted a bloody **_**finger **_**to help him!** How could you just sit there and _watch? _**You selfish bunch of **_**fucking**_** PIRATES!!!!**"

I slammed the door with such a force that I hear something fall off the wall. I couldn't stand being in the same room as any of was oddly silent outside compared to the noise I had just made. Inside Tia's was silent now I'd left. I couldn't hear anyone talking. I must have shocked them all or made them feel guilty.

Good.

The forest and swamp around Tia's was quite. The silence was broken only by my quiet sobs as my anger dissolved to sorrow again. I sat down on the small wooden ledge that jutted out over the swamp from Tia's. I hugged my legs into my chest and rested my chin on my knees. It was do dark I could see nothing of the surrounding forest and the only light came from Tia's windows. It reflected on the water below and illuminated the ledge I was sitting on.

The silence gave me peace to reflect on everything that had happened. Had I meant everything I'd said?

Yes.

But perhaps some of it would have been best left unsaid. I had probably taken out most of my guilt on them; after all, I was also to blame for Jack's death. I could have fought harder. I could have…

I could have told him I love him.

All this time I had been suppressing the horrible thought that if Jack knew then he might… he might have come with us. _'Come back Jack,'_ I thought desperately. _"All is forgiven."_ I even waited wondering if I wished hard enough that he would come back, but of course he didn't.

I couldn't even muster up a tiny bit of guilt over what I'd said to the others because the truth of the matter was that I didn't care what happened to me now. If they were horribly offended and sailed off without me it didn't matter. If I died right there outside Tia's it wouldn't matter. I'd rather be dead. If I was dead then I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't feel the pain I was going through at that moment. I couldn't take much more of this living hell. It would be much better, much kinder to kill me.

That's when the water caught my attention.

I couldn't tell how deep it was, but I was sure it would be deep enough for someone to drown in. What was to stop me joining my beloved in his watery grave?

I slowly uncurled my legs and sat on the very edge of the wooden platform. I looked down. It was quite high above the water, but that didn't matter. I could see the longboat bobbing around underneath me, tied to the ladder that led up to Tia's. I climbed to my feet. I stood on the edge. I didn't deserve to live while he had died. Not when it had been my fault. If I went now nobody would notice. It would be quick and painless for everyone. There was a click as the door behind me opened. I stepped off the platform. Air rushed past me.

There was a scream from someone who wasn't me.

A splash as hit the water.

Darkness.

Nothing.


	18. Reflection

**SaveroftheSun: I know, stupid girl...**

**callieandjack: Haha! (evil laugh) You shall find out now!**

**ValueMyHeart: Ooops... please don't cry!**

**nineteennintytwo: Here's your update!**

**bmdrose: Have another issue... I seem to be running out...**

**kerializ: Don't tell her that! she'd be so mad do you have a death wish? lol. Suicide _is_ never the answere and it should never be a question either!  
**

**klutzygal12: Oh dear, sorry!**

**Fairy Skull: nah, it's k, computer's are silly! Who ya gonnna call? GHOSTBUSTERS! Not sure how they would help, but hey, the theme-tune's catchy!**

**Valor: T-t-t-ta! Don-n-n-n't-t-t t-t-take your-r- eyes off him-m-m-mm! (Hard task I know! (Not) lolz)  
**

**xXDeadlyRoseXx: Wow, that was a long revoew! I know, computers can be so stupid! I totally share your feelings bout Elizabeth at that bit! I love all the animals in Pirates, they're so cute. The monkey looks like the one from Friends. I'm impressed you could be bothered to read it all at once! You should get a prize or something! Obliviousness could be a word, I think everyhting's a word once you've said it!  
**

* * *

The water cut out the sound of everything but my own heartbeat. You know how they say that when you die your whole life flashes before your eyes? Well, as I let myself sink slowly down I remembered the last time I had almost drowned and I found that I could see it happening as clearly as if I was going through it again. Maybe I was. Maybe everything that had happened since then had been a dream and I would wake up on the jetty of Port Royale and be able to re-do my wrongs. It had been a clumsy accident at the fort when I was trying to distract James from proposing to Elizabeth.

***

_"James!" I called. His ears went red. He'd heard me, but wasn't admitting it. He carried on talking. I started to run towards him. "James! James! I really, really need to-"_

_I didn't get any further. I had my hand outstretched to grab onto James and make him listen, but he saw me coming and moved. I blundered forward, elbowing Elizabeth in the nose. I had almost stopped myself when my foot met James's and I tripped. I flew forwards. The ground beneath my feet became sky and I plummeted off the edge of the fort. My heart was beating and I was sure it had lodged itself in my throat. I do not know where my stomach was, but t didn't feel as if it was still in my insides._

***

I had walked gladly into death's waiting arms. I had been calm and poised. My steps had taken my deliberately into the murky water. I had thought about it, knew it was coming. It wasn't a shock when I hit the water. I was ready for it. I was ready for death. I wanted it, it would be a relief. I had fought so hard that day at Port Royale. Fought and fought for my survival. It had seemed so vital for me to live. My determination not to let go of my pathetic, pointless, meaningless life almost made me smile. I let the water fill my mouth and nose. I ignored the instincts screaming to me that I needed air.

***

_The water hit me like a slap. The shock caused me to inhale, but all that happened was my lungs filled with water. I couldn't move. I sank down. I tried to swim upwards, by my dress was so heavy and waterlogged I didn't have the strength. The water filled my brain and I couldn't think. I hit the seabed. It was in my lungs. My eyes rolled back. I tried to fight it, but the light from the surface was fading rapidly. _

***

As I floated, suspended in the water outside Tia's waiting for death's cold grip. The silence around me was quite peaceful. Death itself had so far been an altogether more peaceful experience than I had expected. I hoped that Jack had found it to be the same. It wasn't without pain, but I found it was quite easy to ignore. The short, sharp pains in my lungs as I let them fill with water were a welcome relief from the aching in my heart.

***

_My waterlogged heart lifted as a pair of strong arms grabbed me round the waist and pulled me up. I couldn't look to see my savior's face. Everything was black._

_...  
_

_Water was being pushed from my lungs. I coughed it up onto the wet wood. My head was pounding. I lay back. A pair of dark brown eyes met mine. I didn't know who they belonged to, but they were so deep that for a second they were all I could see. I blinked. A man's voice, light and teasing reached my ears and broke through the watery stupor of my brain. "I know those events can be boring, love, but there's no need for you to throw yourself off a cliff." he smiled at me. I felt myself half-smile back, but then my brain woke up and I saw him. Properly saw him. He was a pirate. His clothes were old and faded and his eyes were outlined by something which looked like kohl. His long dark hair was intricately braided and adorned with beads. It was also wet. I had been saved by a pirate. That didn't make any sense at all._

***

It was that image that I kept in my head as my eyes closed. It was so clear and sharp. If only I'd known then. If only I'd known how important he was going to be. I had been shocked that I had been saved by a pirate, but that's just Jack for you. He'd saved me from drowning and he'd saved me now, again, he had died to save all of us. But he hadn't had to die. He could have... I could have. It was my fault. All of it. I was glad I was dying. I had killed Jack and the world was better off wthout me.

I pushed these bitter thoughts from my mind. I wanted my last thoughts to be of Jack. I could almost hear his voice, those first words he'd said to me. I could almost feel his arms around my waist again, lifting me up. Wait, I _could_ feel his arms lifting me up. But it couldn't be him, could it? What was this? I wasn't imagining it. The arms were real. My ebbing strength allowed me to lift my head and look up. It wasn't Jack. It was Will.


	19. A Plan

**Here's the last chapter of DMC guys. AWE will be up in about two weeks time, because I go on holiday today, but keep a look out.**

**keiraliz: Thank you! You're very sweet.**

**callieandjack: Yeah, cheers for Will!**

**nineteennintytwo: Jeez... that's pretty worried then...**

**SaveroftheSun: Hooray for Will.**

**bmdrose: Oops... yeah that may have been what I meant! XD**

**klutzygal12: I don't like licorice.**

**Fair Skull: Good old Will! We should throw him a party!**

**xXDeadlyRoseXx: You had a near-death experience when you were 5? It must have been really scary.  
**

* * *

I could hear people calling my name, but I didn't respond. Why couldn't they understand that I didn't want to be saved? No denying that it was very brave and heroic of Will to climb in and get me, but… did he have to? They were still shouting at me. This time I tried to respond, to tell them I didn't want to be saved, but I didn't have the strength to move or do anything. Water was still clogging up my nose, mouth and lungs, cutting off any chance of air.

My eyes rolled back in my head. The shouting became more frantic, as the light faded from my eyes, but to me it also seemed to me to become more distant. I felt someone putting pressure on my ribs and pressed sharply down. My mouth opened of my own accord and water shot out. My natural reaction caused me to sit bold upright and take a sharp intake of breath. I couched and retched up the rest. There was nothing I could do to stop the reaction even if I had wanted to. The floor was covered in water. I took in deep, rasping breaths. My lungs hurt and I could feel there was still water in them.

"Why… why did you….?" I asked. I didn't have enough energy to get angry... yet. Will, Elizabeth and Gibbs were crowded round me, blocking out everything else. I looked at them all and their concerned expressions and suddenly felt the urge to cry. Elizabeth hugged me tightly to her.

"Isabel!" she sounded a bit teary herself. "I would never have forgiven myself if you…" She broke off. I weakly returned her hug, not quite sure what she was so upset about. It wasn't her fault. Will was looking at her, but it wasn't in the usual way. He looked a bit… sadder. Elizabeth stopped hugging me and turned to Will and Gibbs. "She's cold, get her something," she paused. "…and Will if you need it."

Will and Gibbs disappeared into Tia's. Elizabeth looked at me, "Why did you do it?"

I sighed. I knew this question was bound to be asked at some point, but it was going to be difficult to explain. I took a deep breath. "I loved him," I began. I waited for her reaction, but she didn't look surprised.

"I know," she said quietly.

"You _know_?" I repeated. "But how… how could you know? _I_ only just found out!"

The angry, concerned look left her face and for a brief moment she laughed. "I think it was pretty obvious to everyone. Everyone it would seem, except you and Jack. Even Gibbs noticed."

"Even… Gibbs?" I repeated.

"Yes, even Gibbs." she said.

"Well, why did nobody tell me?!" I asked indignantly.

"Thought it was obvious," she said. "And that you would be better figuring it out for yourself."

"Well I did, but I was a bit too late wasn't I?" I sighed miserably. "And it was my fault," I added in a small voice. Elizabeth's concern dissolved to shock.

"_Your_ fault?"

"Yes," I looked away. It was harder to say out loud. "I was so horrible to him. I said I hated him… I _punched_ him… I ignored him… I… I just treated him like shit."

Elizabeth was still gaping at me. She looked quite upset, "Izzy, none of this was your fault."

"How do you know?"

She started chewing on her bottom lip. "Listen, he didn't stay because of anything you said to him I can promise you that." I didn't know whether to believe her or not, but I took comfort from her words.

"How can you know that?" I asked.

"I… I… spoke to him just before he decided to stay… you can't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault," she looked more upset than I thought she would. So she had spoken to Jack? She was the last person to speak to him before he died. I wanted to know what he'd said, but I didn't have a chance because just then Will came back out and draped a blanket round my shoulders. Elizabeth's lip chewing became more frantic. I felt something in the atmosphere change. It felt colder than before. I looked at Will as he sat down opposite me. His face was solemn and set.

"Thank you," I said to him. "But you shouldn't have… I can't live like this."

"You don't have to," he replied to my surprise. Elizabeth glanced at him, but he didn't look back. "Come inside, Isabel. There's someone you might want to see." He caught a glance of my expression, but cut me off before I could start believing the impossible. "It's not Jack," he said helping me to my feet.

"Then I don't think it'll be anyone I want to see," I muttered, but I followed him in regardless. Elizabeth slipped in behind me, unusually quite for her. I looked around Tia's. Everyone stared back at me in silence. I glance at Will.

"I don't see anyone new," I said.

"Then maybe you should try lookin' a little harder," said a voice from behind me. I thought I new the man's voice, but it couldn't possibly be who I thought it was… could it? I turned. The man threw an apple core over his shoulder and Jack the monkey screeched on his shoulder.

It was _Barbossa_.

"Barbossa…" I breathed, not quite able to believe it. The last time I had seen him was when Jack had shot him. And he had definitely been stone, cold dead. "What? You're… you're dead."

"No, I _was_ dead," he corrected me. "Do keep up."

Will was half smiling at my shock.

"He's going to help us get Jack back," he told me.

"How?" I managed to say. I was sure I must be dreaming. Or maybe I was still dying at this was some weird hallucination.

"Ye best be prepared, Miss," Barbossa gave me his most terrifying smile. "Because we're sailing to World's End… right to the Locker."

He brushed past me. I knew that he'd said it with that smile and that air of mystery to make me worry, but I'd never been happier. Here was living proof that the dead could return. Jack was coming back! I was going to see him again, no matter what stood in my way. And who knew? Maybe this time things would be different.

* * *

**Love you guys! Ta for reading. You're all awesome like a possum in a jaunty angled chief chef hat! Hehe... that won't have much sense, but whatever. THANK YOU!!!!! ILOVE YOU ALL!**

**LV XX  
**


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